The Mad Professor
by Sadhelm2
Summary: Stein never thought he'd be a teacher. Especially not a teacher secretly observing Wizard-kind for Lord Death. Stein goes to Hogwarts! Stein-centric.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Sometimes I get an idea that won't go away until I write it down. This is one of those ideas. There've been fics where Soul and Maka go to Hogwarts, Death the Kids goes to Hogwarts and they fight evil. I've never seen a fic where Stein goes to Hogwarts as a teacher.**

**This story will have a rather steady pace so don't expect to see Hogwarts in chapter one.**

**Please Read and Review.**

**I don't own Soul Eater or Harry Potter**

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><p><span><strong>Prologue<strong>

He leant back on his chair, the smoke from his old cigarette caressing his chin with the touch of a lover. The computer screen was the rooms only source of light. It bathed the place in a soft blue glow, casting long and terrible shadows along the wall. The room was in every way similar to that of a normal large living room. It had two sofas with a small coffee table inbetween. A couple of recliners that had been gifted to him upon buying the house. His desk and computer, of course, which sat in the corner of the room, nice and out of the way. A large mirror stretching from the floor and almost to the ceiling hung from the wall near the entrance to the house. All immaculately clean, all normal.

What did stand out were the stitches.

Across the walls stretched long patterns of stitches, criscrossing into the ceiling and one another, as if they were somehow holding the room together. A lab bench sat next to the computer, holding countless beakers and glasses and other instruments of a scientific nature. Some were full of strange substances, a menagerie of colours and smells enough to set the senses of an ordinary man on fire.

This house belonged to no ordinary man however.

Dr Stein continued to recline back into his chair. It was his favourite. A plain black colour; it had five wheels arranged in a star pattern below the seat. It could raise him upwards and downwards, it could spin him around and best of all, it didn't wobble whatsoever. It was in the Doctors humble opinion, a fantastic marvel of engineering and design.

It was while reclining in this great chair, looking over his medical work, that he heard a pinging noise coming from the other end of the room. Swiveling around on his chair, and taking a great delight in doing, so he surveyed the room in which he was supposedly alone.

Ping.

Stein's sharp yellow eyes focused in on the disturbance. Standing up and adjusting his labcoat so that he looked somewhat presentable, he was unable to contain his curiousity. Why exactly was he being contacted now? He hadn't had much to do with that place since he graduated. Sure he had been good. Very good in fact. The best, many would be quick to point out. But he wasn't right for teaching there, he had been told. He couldn't control himself, couldn't control his madness.

Well, Stein had had a good decade to practice since.

Ping.

He walked over to the other end of the room and stood, slouched slightly, in front of the mirror. He raised his left hand and gave the large bolt wedged into his head a couple of turns clockwise.

Crank! Crank!

Ping.

He sighed as the world came back into focus. It was time to answer the call, the mirror was glowing.

"Yes Lord Death. I'm here." He said calmly to the mirror. As if in response to his speech; the glowing parted revealing another place as well as another person standing in front of the mirror.

"Hey, hey, hello! How's it goin' Stein? It's been a while since I've seen you!" The creature known as Lord Death replied jovially.

He was much taller than Stein, only a good three quarters of his body could be seen. Not that there was much to see. Rather than arms and legs, Lord Death appeared to be made entirely of a tattered piece of black cloth, with many jagged edges poking out randomly in places. This stood on what could only be described as a stalk of black cloth which extended to the ground rather like a single leg and foot.

"No need to bother with formalities. Just Death is fine." The Grim Reaper continued with obvious cheer. A simple cartoonish skull mask, with three simle circles- two for the eyes and one for the nose- covered the place where his face should have been. The overall picture certaintly couldn't be described as scary or even funny. Just...surprising.

"Very well sir." Stein replied formally. "I've been doing more research into the nature of souls. Unfortunately many of my research subjects," here Stein couldn't help the slight grin that threatened to split his face, "didn't hold up long enough for me to gain some conclusive results."

Death merely nodded,

"The pre-kishin that have been appearing seem to be decreasing in power." The eldritch being stated, "This can only mean that we've been catching them more quickly than before. Before they have time to eat too many souls."

Stein couldn't help but feel disappointed, although his powerful mind had other questions.

"Lord Death, not to be rude, but it isn't like you to make calls just to check up on people." Stein said accusingly. Death remained unshaken and didn't comment on him ignoring his order; but his voice lost a little of it's cartoonish quality,

"You are right of course. Dr Stein, I need you to come here as quickly as possible. I have a mission that only an experienced meister can accomplish."

Stein nodded ready to step into the mirror, but death held out a huge white foam-like hand.

"I think it would be better for you to take the longer way round." Stein raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.

"If that's what you wish." The Reaper raised his hand in farewell,

"See you soon!" The next moment he was staring at his reflection. He cranked his bolt a couple more times.

Interesting. Lord Death had ordered him back to Shibusen. What could it be? A large gathering of pre-kishin? Or had a particularly powerful witch made her prescence known and Death wasn't willing to risk his unexperienced students? Whatever it was, Stein had a duty and with any luck he'd probably be able to dissect something afterwards.

He grinned.

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><p>The mad doctor gradually made his way up the steps towards the school. Still his mind was wondering what task Death had for him that couldn't be accomplished by any of the other experienced meisters at the academy. If it was merely a powerful witch or pre-kishin then Death could have just told him so over the mirror and he could be on his way to deal with it.<p>

Stein finished climbing the steps and began walking towards the main building. It looked just like it did when he left. Large red spikes, huge cartoon skulls and massive burning candles. It was all exactly the same.

Walking into the main entrance, past the woman who handed out missions who looked astonished as she sstared at him. There were students from the advanced class loitering about, staring up at the mission board as he walked past. A couple were complaining about no interesting missions being on the board. He continued walking towards the Death Room. A door was open on his left, with a familiar figure standing next to it. He grinned at Stein as the man stopped to talk.

"Heya Stein! How've ya been?"

"I've been alright Sid." Stein replied, "how's that little hellion you decided to adopt?" The dark-skinned man gave the scientist a thumbs-up.

"Ha-ha! He's doing fine! He has a powerful soul wavelength so I'm thinking of enrolling him here."

"You sure you won't treat him differently? You're his parent after all." He simply laughed,

"I don't treat any of my students differently, that's the kind of man I am." Stein smiled to put the man at ease.

"You haven't changed Sid." He made to move on when a hand clamped down on his shoulder.

"Hold on a second, before you go talk to Lord Death, I was just wondering if you'd do a little demonstration for the class? They've been getting rather arrogant lately." He gestured towrds the open door where Stein could make out were children sitting in the lecture theatre awaiting their teachers return.

Stein also wondered how Sid knew he was going to see Lord Death.

"Alright." He answered, he would get to see how things were going since he'd left. And he could never pass on the chance to scare a few arrogant teenagers.

He turned around and walked through the door along with Sid and into the classroom. Students looked up from their books to stare at him. Particlarly his stitch-infused outfit and the bolt sticking out of the left side of his head.

"Class, today we'll have a practical demonstration." He gestured towards Stein, "this is Dr Stein, he is a graduated meister from Shibusen. I expect you to show him the same respect you show me. Got it?"

A chorus of 'yes Sid's and 'yes sir's confirmed his expectations. Sid then pointed towards two students,

"Clay and Akane, get down here." Two 13-14 year-old boys stood up from their seats before walking down to stand on the platform in the middle of the room. They grinned at one another.

'How cute' Stein thought to himself, adjusting the bolt in his head. 'It should be fun to knock them down a couple of pegs.'

"Tsubaki and Ryoku. You two as well." A long black-haired girl calmly walked down with her partner a rough-looking blond-haired boy. The girl, about thirteen Stein estimated, looked visily nervous while the boy just glared silently at Stein.

'A temper, huh?' he thought to himself.

"You four are the two highest scoring pairs in class so I think you'll learn the most from this" Sid declared. "For this demonstration your opponent will be Stein." The four looked right at the scientist. He waved.

"Any conditions Stein?" Sid asked him.

"Just one." Stein replied looking at the four in front of him. "If you can cut me a single time, you'll be instantly promoted to a two-star meister." That grabbed their attention. The whole class sat up straighter and began whispering as the four looked startled before confidence came back into their features.

Sid just smirked,

"You're a cruel man Stein" he murmured before adressing the class, "You heard him. If you can cut him you get promoted! So transform and get ready for me to begin."

The one known as Clay transformed into a sword as Akane caught him and rested the weapon on his shoulder.

The girl, Tsubaki, in a flash of light became a chain scythe and was caught by her partner Ryoku who also got into a battle stance.

Stein observed their souls in disappointment. None of them were filled with anything but sheer confidence and a little bit of anger in Ryoku's case.

"Sir, where's your weapon?" One of them, Akane suddenly asked Stein as Sid moved off the platform to give the start signal. Making a show of turning the bolt in his head a couple of turns clockwise, Stein gave him a dry look,

"It appears I forgot to bring my weapon" he shrugged, "oh well. It doesn't matter really." Observing their souls once more he found himself interested all of a sudden. Other than the usual bristling with anger at his dismissive comment, the girls soul was different. Cautious.

'Interesting, she alone seems to have picked up that things aren't as simple as they appear. What wil she do though, I wonder?'

"Ryoku, I think we should be careful. Something doesn't seem right about this." Tsubaki quickly told her partner.

"Shut it Tsubaki. He insulted us, he's going down!" The boy responded harshly. Stein raised an eyebrow,

"You should listen to your partners advice." he turned to look at Stein whose expression turned dark, "Who knows, it might save your life one day." He said in his usual dry tone.

"Shut up!" The kid roared, it was clear only the lack of Sid saying start was holding him back.

Scanning the rest of the class, Stein studied their souls for any hints of something interesting. There was the usual apathy you get from young teenagers along with a hint of curiosity in a few. But there was outright fear in a couple of them. Stein smiled. They were the ones with some form of Soul Perception. The only ones who've realised just how outmatched their classmates truly are.

"Ready?" Sid asked. Akane and Ryoku tensed up, ready to spring. Stein put his hands in his coat pockets.

"Go!"

Instantly Ryoku launched himself towards Stein, with Akane right behind him. He gave a battlecry, throwing the scythe-part of his partner straight towards Stein.

He simply stepped aside, letting her sail right by him. Ryoku then struck out with the other scythe straight towards Steins face. Stein's knee quickly struck up, knocking Tsubaki out of his hand and keeping him off-balance. Stein then simply ducked, sending the student tumbling over his head before straightening, throwing Ryoku behind him into the blackboard where the part of Tsubaki he first threw was embedded.

Akane then swung at him, forcing Stein to backstep to avoid the blade. He recovered, turning his next attack into a stab towards Stein's chest. Stein dodged to his left this time before grabbing Akanes hand, pulling him off balance. Then, showing impressive strength, with one hand throwing him into the recovering Ryoku. The two boys, along with their weapons, became a tangle of limbs as they tried to sort themselves out.

Stein watched impassively, his hands back in his pockets, waiting patiently for their next move. Eventually the boys sorted themselves out and continued staring down Stein.

"He's good" Akane said simply, hoisting Clay in front of him. "He dodged our attacks effortlessly and didn't even bother to counter."

"We should work together." Tsubaki said hopefully, "We might be able to win then." Ryoku snorted,

"Didn't you hear what he said? Only the one who cuts him will be promoted. It's every pair for themselves."

"Well then you're welcome to go first and create us an opening!" Clay yelled, speaking up for the first time.

"Hey, we'll win and definetely be promoted!" Ryoku yelled back, while Tsubaki stayed strangely silent.

Stein smirked evilly at them, but inwardly he groaned. Why didn't he just finish it instantly when they first attacked? Listening to them argue was annoying. His gaze instead turned towards Sid, who was watching stoically, giving nothing away.

'You knew I was coming here. Lord Death must have told you. That means he wants me to take part in this exercise then. But for what purpose?' A sudden aggressive change in Soul Wavelength ahead of him brought Steins attention back to the fight.

"-then we'll go! Tsubaki!"

"Right!" Then to Steins utter surprise Tsubaki transformed again. This time from a chain-scythe into a large shuriken which the boy grabbed round the hole in the middle.

'She must be descended from the original Demon Weapon!' Stein thought, feeling excitement for the first time in the fight. His previously unconcerned stance changed as a small smile crossed his face. Sid watched him carefully.

Imagine what he could find out! Strapped down helpless as his scalpel ripped her open, revealing her bodies secrets to him and only him. Her delicate skin parting as he carefully cut...

'Woah, woah, woah...' Stein caught himself, giving his screw a few more turns clockwise. His thoughts quickly returning to the fight. 'Almost lost it a little there...'

Ryoku shifted to a two hand grip on Tsubaki then charged towards him, swinging the oversized shuriken at Steins torso. This time however, Stein had no intention of going easy. Picking his moment he reached out and simply seized Tsubaki, his strength stopping the pair dead. Ryoku's eyes only had time to widen in horror before Akane, seizing his moment charged towards Steins other flank, raising Clay, ready to strike.

Stein almost chuckled. He held his palm out towards the oncoming sword, as if he was going to stop it dead with his mere palm. He smirked. Once the sword made contact there was a crackle of lightning as Akane and Clay were forced back and away from Stein in severe pain. Clay was forced back into his human form as the two boys lay on the floor groaning.

Satisfied Stein then turned to the immoblised pair standing in front of him. He could see the fear in their souls, they were practically shaking. He gave the meister a sickening grin that threatened to split Steins face in two. Ha! His knees were knocking against one another!

Stein placed his free hand on the boys head, feeling him stiffen beneath him. Sid rushed forward alarmed.

"I win." Silence ruled over the class.

His words stopped Sid in his tracks. Dropping his psychotic grin, Stein settled for a more normal looking smile. "You both did well. But think before you attack. Never rush at an opponent you know nothing about blindly. Using a different weapon form was a good tactic to catch me off guard but next time make sure you can actually use that form as well."

With that he released the two and Tsubaki quickly changed back to her human form. He then walked over to the other two boys.

"Come on. Don't tell me a little attack like that knocked you two out." At this insult to their pride, the boys quickly sat up and muffled their groans of pain.

"You two also did surprisingly well. You capitalised on the attacks of the other two in order to try and get some hits in, which was the aim of the exercise. However you tend to overstretch your reach leaving you vulnerable to a counterattack."

Stein helped the two to their feet before turning to the rest of the class, "I hope you all learned something from this little demonstration. Now if you'll excuse me I'm late for a meeting." He waved and without a single goodbye left the classroom.

Stein was barely a few steps out of the classroom before a voice called after him. Turning around he saw Sid standing there a look of appraisal in his eye that hadn't been there before.

"Good job Stein." He said simply, a hint of respect in his tone. "I'm the kind of man to be honest, I was expecting to have to interfere for a second there, but it turns out I didn't need too."

Stein raised an eyebrow,

"I take it Lord Death asked you to do this?"

"He did and I have to say you passed with flying colours. Head on over to the Death Room. I think you'll be interested in what he has to say." Sid waved goodbye as he strolled back into the classroom, shutting the door behind him. Stein continued on his way towards his meeting.

Back in the classroom a student put their hand up,

"Sid? Who was that guy?" Sid sat down in his chair, putting his feet on the desk as he reclined back in his chair.

"As I told you before; his name is Dr Stein. He is a three-star meister who graduated from Shibusen years ago." He looked up to make sure he held all of their attention, especially those of the four Stein had just beaten. "Some say he is the greatest meister this academy has ever produced. Alone, he has created at least two Death Scythes and is the former partner of the current DeathScythe that Lord Death himself weilds." If Sid had expected the students to buckle down and continue the lesson where they left off, he was sorely mistaken.

Stein knocked on the black door. Written in scratches were the words 'Death Room' at about head height on the door. When the door opened Stein couldn't hid his surprise. A small child, wearing a neat black suit with skull cufflinks and bright golden eyes stared up at him.

"Yes? Is there something you need?" The child asked politely. Almost creepily polite.

"My name is Dr Stein. Lord Death is expecting me." He had knocked on the right door hadn't he?

"Ah yes, my father mentioned you would be arriving soon. Please follow me."

Stein's eyes widened, 'Father!? You mean he actually split his soul again?!' Alarmed Stein's eyes quickly focused on the boys hair. Confirming his fears, there were the three incomplete sanzu lines running horizontally across the childs hair. How could he be so irresponsible?!

The child led him through the guillotine hallway and towards the platform where Death resided. And there he was. Standing proudly on the raised dias, was the Grim Reaper himself. He raised a large white hand in greeting,

"Heyo! Hello! Thank you for bringing Stein here Kid."

"It was no problem father." The kid bowed. The kid actually bowed! Then straightened up. Quickly checking his suit he then walked past Stein and away into the distance. To do whatever it was the child did in the weird spatial rend that was the Death Room.

"I apologise for Kid, he's a little anti-social." Death explained, "He doesn't like talking to people who aren't symmetrical." Stein reached into his pocket and brought out an unlit cigarette. He lit it with his Soul Wavelength before taking a deep breath. It calmed him as the smoke formed the shape of a skull before losing its shape and fading away.

"You fragmented yourself again" Stein stated looking at Lord Death quizically. "Isn't that dangerous? We don't want another disaster on our hands."

"I assure you I know what I'm doing" Death said without once losing his cheerful tone. "I was utterly clueless last time; not knowing how to raise a child. This time will be different. Not to mention Kid is made of sterner stuff than Asura, this I know for a fact."

"Kid?"

"Short for Death the Kid." Stein chuckled. How original.

"Why now though?" Stein questioned, "What made you decide that you wanted a child now?"

Here Death seemed a little sheepish. He pushed his two index fingers together nervously,

"Well Spirit kept going on and on about his little Maka and she was just so adorable I thought it would be nice if I were to have a child as well. Our shared burden of fatherhood could strengthen our bond and allow us to fight more effectively. Not to mention giving us something to talk about at awkward parties."

Stein took a long drag on his cigarette, processing that information.

"Speaking of Spirit where is he? He should be here along with you." Stein questioned, rather surprised at the red-headed mans absence.

"I gave him the day off when I found out it was his daughters birthday. She's ten now I believe." Death explained jovially. "She's truly adorable. She's growing up to be just like Kami."

Stein twitched a little. He'd never really gotten over her taking his favourite experiment away from him.

"As long as you know what you're doing. Just make sure Kid interacts with people. It isn't healthy to shut him away from the world." Stein said quickly changing the subject back to Kid.

"Like what you've been doing?" Death questioned, causing Stein to shrug.

"I'm already messed up. What I've been doing is a necessity. I've been protecting the world from me."

"Now Stein, you're certaintly not that bad. Especially if your performance from earlier is to be taken into account."

"You saw that?"

"Indeed. You have a knack for teaching. Getting along well with children seems to come naturally to you." Stein snorted,

"It's flattering that you think that, but I'm a danger. The madness inside me could strike out at any time."

"You often say that, yet it never has. I can see your soul Stein. The madness within you is kept tightly under lock and key. I have the utmost faith in your abilities." Stein took another long drag on his cigarette. It somewhat calmed the worry that sprang up at the faith his boss seemed to have in him.

"Speaking of abilities, why is it that you wanted to see me exactly?" Stein questioned, looking at the featureless mask of his boss.

"Ah," Death brought his oversized hands together in excitement, "now that is an interesting matter."

Stein extinguished his cigarette, looking seriously at his boss. Death had his full attention.

"How much do you know about Witches?"

"The same as everyone else." Stein said, " Inherently powerful beings, all female, with bright purple souls who use their powerful destructive magic to accomplish their own ends and goals. These goals generally being damaging to Shibusen and to World Order in general. A long time ago they moved to another dimension to better co-ordinate a response to being hunted by Shibusen. They are able to move freely between our dimension and their own dimension. How they do this is unknown." Stein finished looking at Death expectantly. There was more of course, but those were the basic facts.

Death nodded,

"Yes you are correct. But there is a lesser known breed of witches that has existed for a short while." Stein grunted. Knowing Death, a short while could be anything from a couple of weeks to thousands of years.

'He doesn't see time in the same way as mortals do' Stein thought, 'Shouldn't be too much of a problem though.'

"They seem benevolent so I ignore them most of the time; although I have occasionally interacted with their kind." Death admitted, "There are quite a few of them now and I'm rather startled at how little we know about them. They certaintly aren't as destructive as the witches we usually deal with. The sway of magic doesn't seem to affect them too much."

"Sounds interesting" Stein lit another cigarette and took a calming drag. A new subspecies of witch? It sounded exciting. He couldn't wait to dissect them. "Where do I come in?"

"I need you to find out more about them." The Grim Reaper stated. "As of current we know little of their capabilities, their motives or their loyalties. We need to know if they're allied to the Witches and what goals they may possess."

"Makes sense. But why now?" Stein's mind was racing, "Pre-kishin activity is at an all-time low, why is it so urgent to check these people out now of all times?"

"That is exactly what worries me Stein. While Pre-kishin activity has dropped recently, the number of Witch sightings is on the rise. I feel they may be planning something big and the decreasing number of pre-kishin may have something to do with it."

"So I'm to gather information?" Something didn't add up. He rolled the cigarette to the otherside of his mouth in thought. What was the point in the classroom incident if he was just going to be information gathering?

"Yes. And you'll be doing it in what is considered possibly the best place to gather information."

Death's voice had lost whatever serious tone it possessed and was back to being wackily joyful. It made Steins heart plummet in his chest. The test earlier had involved him interacting close with children. Death had just said he got along well with children, he said he had a knack for teaching...

An ice cold feeling shot through Stein's veins.

'No...he can't possibly...'

"Yes Stein. You're going off to school!" Death said with damnable cheer. Steins cigarette fell to the ground.

He stared in uncomprehending shock at Lord Death. There was no way he just heard that. No way that he had just been ordered to _teach _a group of children about something he himself knew nothing about. It made no sense! His cover would be blown on the first day! Was there something he had missed? Some factor that made this mission actually possible for him accomplish!?

Despite how he may act, Death was far from stupid. Everything he did tended to have some purpose to it. But no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't see a way in which this mission didn't end in abject failure and he'd have to fight his way out of a school, he'd be among _children_, full of enemies he knew nothing about.  
>Taking a shaky breath Stein began to speak,<p>

"Sir, quite frankly this sounds like a terrible idea. For one thing, how am I supposed to keep my cover teaching young children magic when I can't perform magic myself?" Before he could continue Death interrupted; again in that damn happy voice.

"Oh that won't be a problem. You'll be applying for the position of Professor of Muggle Studies. You won't have to actually teach any magic at all!" Stein paused,

"What's a muggle?" He asked wth disdain. Even the word sounded silly.

"I believe that's what they call non-magical folk like you and myself."

While it was flattering that Death considered himself a non-magical person, if not very accurate, it certainly didn't do anything to elevate these people in Steins eyes. He'd take great personal pleasure in dissecting anyone who called him a muggle. But at least it was a subject he could teach without raising suspicion.

"Second, I still know nothing about their world. How am I supposed to blend in? I mean I'm hardly inconspicuous." He gestured to his stitch-covered body and large screw sticking out of the side of his head.

"From what I've seen you'll hardly stick out among them. They're a pretty odd bunch themselves. And as for their way of life; the Death Scythe of Western Europe will be taking care of that. He has located a place where he can gather quite a few books on the subject, as well information on the school where you will be employed. Not to mention no-one will be looking for infiltrators. They aren't at war as far as we know, so it's unlikely anyone will go sniffing around into your personal buisness." Stein gritted his teeth and gave his screw a good couple of turns.

"Why me specifically? Sid's specialty is infiltration and he's not likely to dissect any children either." Death actually looked disappointed at that,

"Don't be silly Stein, I can't have Sid leave on a long term infiltration mission. Who would look after the child he's taken uner his wing?"

"What about Kami?" Stein asked desperately.

"Maka."

"Nygus?"

"She has the students to look after. Even with the help of an extra nurse we may need her expertise."

"Spirit?"

"He's my personal DeathScythe. And Maka."

"Marie?"

"She has Oceania to look after and can be rather eccentric."

"Azusa?"

"East Asia."

"Justin?"

"He's too young."

"Spirit?"

"Again, he has Maka to look after."

"...Tezca?" He knew he was clutching at straws now.

"South America. You know this Stein." He gave his screw another few turns but he was drawing up a blank. Taking his silence as an affirmative Death clapped his hands together.

"Wonderful! Now all you need to do is pass the interview and your new job will be set!"

"B-but what about qualifications?" Stein cried out in triumph, "I have no qualifications for teaching at the school. They won't accept me!"

"Don't be silly, we've already taken the liberty of forging them. You've already made it to the interview stage. Congratulations!" Stein closed his mouth. Clearly Death had been planning this for a while now. There would be no wriggling out of it.

"Here is a list of your qualifications," handing him a small piece of paper Stein glumly peered at the list.

He'd received his magical education at a rather obscure school in North America. Outstanding marks in Muggle Studies (and only muggle studies) whereas he received average marks in everything else. He had then supposedly attended a specific course which allowed wizards and witches to live with muggles in order to gain a greater understanding of how they live. He had received top marks in this course.

"You'll be sent to Europe tomorrow. Justin will be showing you round and getting you settled in. Feel free to say goodbye to everyone in Death City. It's unlikely you'll be seeing them until the start of the summer next year. Oh and could you please give this letter to Spirit? He should be at home right now."

Resigned to his fate, Stein escorted himself out of the Death Room. Ignoring Death the Kid who tried to insist on escorting him through the hall of guillotines. He walked blankly through the bright corridors of Shibusen, letter to Spirit clutched tightly in his hand.

'What the hell is he thinking? Putting me with so many undefended children. I'll cause a massacre!' He walked past the mission board without sparing any of the children there a glance. He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't see the group of students coming until it was too late.

"It's Dr Stein!" Members of the class he'd partcipated in flocked around him attracting the attention of many other students.

He stopped abruptly in order to not bowl a few of them over.

"You were so cool in class!"  
>"You took down those guys without breaking a sweat!"<br>"Are you going to become a teacher here?"

"How did you create two Death Scythes?!" Staring in shock down at the sea of little faces, chattering at him and with each other, he was drawing quite a crowd.

This was new.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the woman at the front desk holding in a snicker at his expense. He glared. Then he looked down at the students, the sheer admiration they had for him was unsettling. He had barely been in that classroom for five minutes and they were already enamoured with him. Is this what Sid felt like all the time?

"Can you teach me that cool lightning thing you hit Clay with?"  
>"Are you stronger than Sid? Could you kick his ass?"<br>"Why do you have that screw in your head?"

Holy Death, they were _still _talking?! Deciding to put a stop to this Stein spoke up, his voice emanating authority.

"Hold it. Right now I'm on a mission from Lord Death, so questions will have to wait." With that established he made his way through the small crowd of children and towards the exit.

"Will you come teach at Shibusen afterwards?" One of the little guinea pigs piped up.

"Sure..." he replied not looking back and giving a lazy wave.

'Ha! Not fucking likely', Stein thought to himself. Honestly did kids these days have no concept of personal space? It made him just want to cut them open.

It wasn't a long walk to Spirits house; although it was more like a mansion. Being Death's personal weapon had quite a few perks clearly. And Spirit wasn't afraid to use them.

Stein gave his screw a good couple of turns. It would be fun to see Spirit again. It had been too long since he last saw his friend. It was a testament to that mans character that he still called Stein a friend even after finding out about all the experiments he did to him when they were younger. They hadn't been life threatening. Stein had still been learning how to control his... less-than-good intentions. Spirit as well as acting like a moral choke-chain; helped satiate those desires when he fell asleep.

Spirit was a very heavy sleeper.

Walking up to the front door, Stein rang the doorbell and waited. It had been awhile since he saw Spirit. Stein wondered how marriage was treating him. Spirit had always struck him as the kind of guy who wouldn't get tied down like that. But then again Stein wasn't very good with people. He and Kami obviously loved one another enough to have a child.

Soon footsteps alerted Stein to someone coming to the door. He could have used Soul Perception to see who it was but figured it'd be impolite. The door opened revealing a red-haired man,

"Look I'm sorry buddy but it's my baby girls birthday today; so why don't you scra...agh...aaaa...gah" Spirit stammered staring at Stein with a sort of shocked horror.

"Hello Spirit" Stein greeted politely.

"..gah..." Spirit choked his mouth wide open.

"It's been awhile since we last spoke."

"...gah..."

"How have you been?"

"...gaaah."

He didn't seem to be getting anywhere. So Stein decided to make the first move.

"May I come in?"

"...gagaah..."

"Thank you." Stein walked past the stunned man and into the foyer. He observed the room. It was certainly a nice place. Oak wood, beautiful paintings. Clearly Kami was a classy lady.

"Wow Spirit, you've done well for yourself."

"...gah..."

Ok now this was honestly pathetic. How could he wake him up? What would Spirit prioritise over his (completely irrational) fear of Stein?

"I wonder where your daughter Maka's at?" Like a switch had just been flipped Spirit went from paralysed with fear to angry beyond measure.

"What did you say?! Stay away from my baby girl!" He yelled slamming the door.

"Ah good. You're awake." Stein greeted as warmly as he could. As much as he liked teasing Spirit, he hadn't even done anything yet. "I have a letter for you from Lord Death" he handed Spirit the envelope who quickly took it but didn't open it.

"Thanks. So why are you running errands for Death? It's... not the sort of thing I'd imagine you be doing." Spirit crossed his arms, looking expectantly at his old friend.

"Lord Death wants me to take part in a long-term infiltration mission. So he recommended that I say goodbye to everyone since you won't see me around for quite some time. Not that we see much of each other anyway."

There was no bitterness in Steins voice it was just simple cold fact that he and Spirit hadn't talked much for quite a while. Yet despite this his former partner still looked rather sheepish. He rubbed the back of his head while looking utterly miserable

"Look Stein, I'm sorry you weren't invited to the wedding, I wanted you to be best man, but Kami was against it. Err...sorry." Stein gave the man a withering look.

"I highly doubt that I would have been your best man. Don't make up obvious lies. Anyway I'm not angry about it at all."

"Oh good" Spirit sighed with obvious relief while rubbing the nervous sweat from his forehead. That was one thing about Spirit that Stein had never understood. The eccentric man always wore his heart on his sleeve. Everything he did he did with a great passion. That was probably the quality that had so many women running after him in their younger days. Before Stein could say anything another voice cut in.

"Papa! What's taking so long?!" A little girl ran into the room before stopping to stare in wonder at Stein, who stared impassively back. "Oh hello. My name is Maka." She quickly said politely bowing, "What's yours?" Stein was vaguely aware of Spirit having utterly frozen once again by the door.

"My name is Stein. Dr Franken Stein." He said, introducing himself with flourish. The little green-eyed girl looked thoughtful all of a sudden.

"Like in my book!" She realised happily, smiling up at him.

"Yeah," Spirit interjected walking over to stand by Maka and kneeling down to her height. "He's like that monster isn't he? Grrr!" Spirit continued to make growling sounds at his ten year old daughter, who regarded him with a fond if exasperated expression.

"Don't be silly Papa! Frankenstein was the scientist not the monster! Isn't that right?" She turned to him and Stein couldn't stop the smile.

"That's indeed correct. It's a comment misconception held by all truly stupid people." He said jokily. Spirit spluttered, indignant while Maka, trying to be polite, put her hands over mouth to hold in her giggles. One more push and she'd break,

"Ten years old and already smarter than your father" he finished with a friendly air. Spirit looked annoyed, while Maka's cheeks bulged and her face grew red from holding in her laughter.

"Maka!" Spirit cried, "Your papa's not stupid, is he?"

After a moment or two of looking at the expression on her fathers face she broke utterly.

Her joyful laughter rang throughout the house as the little girl clutched her sides laughing. Spirit gave Stein an odd look for a moment, before continuing his role of 'indignant dad' and trying to act grumpy and failing miserably. Truly only a child could fall for that act. Spirit was in his element. After a minute or two, when Maka had composed herself, she managed to ask another question,

"How do you know Papa, Dr Stein?"

She was a curious little thing wasn't she? Almost like a mini-Kami.

"I was your Papa's meister before your mother made him a DeathScythe." Stein explained. The little girls mouth opened into a wide little 'o'.

"Oh you're the 'crazy guy' Mama talks about." She said with the typical tactlessness of a ten-year old. "You don't seem crazy to me." She wondered out loud. Spirit quickly interjected,

"Yeah well he is!" He claimed indignantly pointing an acusing finger at the doctor. "The scars from the experiments you performed on me have only recently healed as well! I'm not scared of you anymore!" Stein raised an eyebrow,

"Oh really?" Stein asked innocently. He caught Maka's eye and winked. "Then you noticed that I swapped the middle toe on your left foot with the one on your right?" Spirit faltered.

In a flash he was sitting on the floor desperately ripping his shoes and socks off to examine his toes.

"It's not possible! You can't have! You can't have!" He was closely examining his toes, as if they held some sort of hidden secret from him. Stein risked a glance at Maka. She had her hands over her mouth again.

"Made you loook" Stein sang with a smug smile on his face. Spirits expression was _priceless. _

Maka seemed to agree as she bent over laughing herself hoarse at her silly Papa. There were tears in her eyes.

Stein took the opportunity to examine Maka more closely. She definitely took after Kami in appearance. Her ash-blonde hair and big green eyes were her most obvious features. Although there were traces of Spirit in her facial structure when he looked closely.

Her soul had an interesting wavelength; she'd be a meister for certain. Most likely a scythe-meister like her mother, one with an anti-demon wavelength. It was impossible to tell whether or not she was a weapon like her father through looking at her soul, but either way she would become a meister for certain.

Eventually the little girl calmed down enough for Spirit to gently tell her to get back to her party. She said a disappointed "ok" before turning to Stein,

"Nice to meet you Dr Stein" she bowed again before running off into another room far off. "Black*Star no! Don't do that-" She shut the door behind her leaving Spirit and Stein alone in the room. Spirit put a hand to his forehead.

"Kami's supervising." He explained, "I don't know how she does it. Little kids are exhausting." Stein murmured an agreement.

"You're her Godfather you know" Spirit said suddenly, taking Stein off guard. "If something happens to us then you'll be taking care of her." The sudden seriousness in his tone utterly shocked and disorientated Stein.

"You couldn't convince Kami to let me come to the wedding, but you convinced her I'm suitable enough to look after her daughter?!"

Spirit shrugged,

"I put my foot down for once. Anyway, anything tough enough to take both me and Kami out could only be matched by either you or Lord Death himself. Plus I do trust you." He put a hand on Steins shoulder, "You've really changed since we last talked."

It was a clear compliment. Since Stein hadn't made any move to dissect anyone from the moment he entered the house he'd unwittingly passed Spirits test. Stein sighed,

"You have as well. Looking around at all this," he gestured towards the oak furniture, the large posh paintings, "who'd have thought you'd settle down and have a kid?" Spirit leant against the wall, worry lining his features, easing into the old groove that was his friendship with Stein.

"I haven't changed, not really. I'm still irresponsible, I still flirt with women, I can't help it! It's a matter of habit. I make sure to never go further though." He said the last part with conviction and Stein couldn't help but believe him. "I love Maka and Kami more than anything in the world. But well sometimes, Kami gets a little..." he looked uncomfortable even admitting his wife had flaws, "...possesive. I'm constantly worried she'll take it the wrong way and do something drastic."

That was Kami alright. She was passionate, like Spirit, as well as noble and strong. She did however have a short temper, which had gotten her in trouble before, and quite often overreacted to certain things. Not Steins insanity however. Stein had to agree that she had been in the right to take Spirit away from him before any permanent damage occurred. He hadn't been able to control himself at all back then. If it wasn't for the efforts of quite a few good people he'd be locked in an aylum somewhere, or dead.

Stein knew he wasn't very good at this comforting business but he decided to give it a go. Leaning against the wall next to Spirit he spoke,

"When I first saw you and Kami interact I thought it would be just like all of the other girls you'd ever dated. They'd pick you for your looks then leave in a huff when your eyes wondered somewhere else. But with Kami you were different.

Whenever she was there you had eyes only for her and wouldn't give another women the time of day. I watched in shock as days became weeks, then weeks became months and the two of you were still together. Next thing I knew you two were married and couldn't be happier. I remember thinking to myself that, 'Well, perhaps theirs is a love that will last forever through all adversity that might threaten to tear them apart.'"

Stein finished solemnly looking out of the corner of his eye at Spirit. He was lying through his teeth of course. Stein didn't understand concepts such as love. He knew this was true. Spirit knew this was true as well. But the thought was there.

"Thanks man." Spirit sniffed, "That was really beautiful." Stein stood up straight and made his way towards the front door.

"I should go. Tell Kami I said hello." Spirit nodded,

"Good luck with your mission." Stein walked out of the door, the wind causing his labcoat to billow out behind him. Spirit watched as he slowly walked out of sight.

"I knew he'd change." He smiled then closed the door with a click.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Let me know what you think. Was everyone in character? Did you chuckle a little? What was your reaction?**

**Please read and review, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**I'm really busy with my other fic so I can't promise regular updates.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Death Scythes and Dumbledore**

Stein had packed everything essential into a small luggage bag and stood ready to go in the Death Room. Spirit was there, as well as Lord Death and his son, who was twitching a little, sweating and staring at Steins screw.

"There's no symmetry at all, it looks disgusting. Then there's the stitches on one half of his face. Only on one half..." Kid muttered under his breath looking at the meister. Stein decided to pretend he couldn't hear it. He was his bosses child and was at least making an effort to remain composed. Unlike a certain someone.

"oh Stein!" Spirit wailed, tears pouring down his face. "I didn't think you'd be gone for a whole year! I should have made more of the time we had, please forgive me!"

'Until yesterday you hadn't seen me for nearly ten years' Stein thought to himself quite perplexed. But then again most of Spirit's antics utterly confused him. That at least hadn't changed since they'd last met. Although, Spirit was usually a little more composed with this.

'Maybe having a child somehow makes you dumber.' Stein theorised staring at his former partners antics. It would certainly explain how Maka was so smart.

"Please pull yourself together before Lord Death notices" Stein said calmly, "We'll be able to communicate through the mirrors so it won't be a problem." Like magic Spirit leapt up, the tears gone and his suit once again immaculate.

"I'm fine don't worry." He said keeping his face passive, trying to be cool. Stein gave him a dry stare.

"Disgusting, disgusting asymmetrical garbage..." Kid continued to mutter under his breath. Stein gave a sigh,

'Maybe it's a good thing I'm leaving for awhile. This place looks crazy enough without me adding to it.' he thought.

"Hello there Stein!" Death said turning to look at the scientist. "I hope you've packed everything you need. I've just finished arranging your accomodation, you'll be staying with the Death Scythe in charge of Western Europe for the duration of your mission." Stein perked up at this.

He'd be staying with Justin Law? He'd never personally met the autonomous weapon, having left Shibusen before Justin had even entered. But it would interesting. The boy had become a Death Scythe at such a young age and without a meister even! It would be an interesting meeting for sure. The weapon who didn't need a meister and the meister who didn't need a weapon. Stein could hardly wait.

Death turned towards his large mirror.

"Justin? Justin are you there?"

Ping!

The noise sounded throughout the room as a short-haired blonde boy appeared in the mirror.

"Oh my Lord, you've chosen to speak to me! Please! Say your mighty words so that I may hear and obey!"

"Thank you Justin" Death began, "I need you to-" the childs face suddenly contorted in horror.

"My Lord, why can I not here your voice?! Have I displeased you?! Please speak to me!"

"Err, Justin..." Death quickly tried to point out before being cut off by the young Death Scythes wail of despair. Stein looked at the others concerned. Was something wrong with the mirror? Spirit's long suffering expression said otherwise. He pointed towards his ears, clearly exasperated. Confused, Stein looked back at Justin.

'You're kidding' Stein thought annoyed. There, lodged in the childs ears, were a set of earphones. Probably blaring loud music. No wonder he couldn't hear anything. Stein gave his screw a good couple of turns, causing the already forming headache to vanish completely.

'So glad I had this installed.' He thought as Death wildly gestured to Justin, trying to get him to take his earphones off. Finally the kid seemed to get the message as he took out the earphones to look at them all.

"Sorry about that. Sometimes I forget that they're in there."

"It's no problem Justin." Death said. "Now I know you're busy running the Western European branch but I need you to do me a favour." Justin nodded, his expression serious.

"Do you need someone executed sir?"

"No, no, no. Nothing like that." Death waved his hand idly; as if blowing away the question. "You see, Stein here will be needing a place to stay in Britain for the next few months. I was hoping you would be willing to accomadate him."

"Of course my Lord. It's the least I could do." Justin gave a small bow. "It would be a great honour."

"Excellent!" Death cheered as Justin faded from the mirror to be replaced by an inky blackness. He then turned to Stein, "Well then off you go. Now I'll be expecting monthly reports. Be careful and don't underestimate them. If I've learnt anything, it's that magic always finds a way to surprise people."

Stein nodded stoically although he was slightly peeved. He wasn't some one-star meister, he knew how to act and what to expect.

"I won't Lord Death. Good-bye everyone." Stein said simply before walking forward and into the mirror.

There was a strange sucking sensation. Almost like he was gently being pulled forward by the hem of his shirt. Then the next thing he knew he was stepping out of a mirror in a completely different place.

"Dr Stein it's an honour to meet you." A young voice said. Justin Law stood to the side of the mirror, looking up at Stein reverently. Although Stein knew Justin was young, he honestly hadn't expected him to look so young.

He was barely up to Steins shoulder in height and was wearing a black robe with a white collar. The kid stared up at him with admiration clear in his eyes; looking strikingly similar to the young meisters back at Shibusen. Stein was forced to remind himself that this child wasn't a mere one-star meister, but a Death Scythe and therefore worthy of respect.

"It's good to meet you as well Justin. I've heard an awful lot about you. I have to say I'm impressed." It wasn't a lie. Justin's record certainly was impressive. He was the youngest ever Death Scythe, utterly obliterating Spirits old record of eighteen. An achievement that Spirit didn't hold against the young blonde. Probably.

The boys eyes shone,

"You humble me with your praise." He spoke happily.

"Oh?" Stein gave him an inquisitive look. "And why is that?"

"You are Dr Franken Stein. The greatest meister to have ever graduated from Shibusen! You've created two Death Scythes, Marie Mjolnir and Azusa Yumi. And you've killed Witches without even weilding a weapon! Why shouldn't I be humbled?"

Stein gave his screw a couple of turns, feeling rather uncomfortable. He'd no idea that he'd become so well-known since he left Shibusen. Perhaps he could use that to his advantage. How far would Justin go to please him? A little poke here, a little prod there... He could find out so many things. What made Justin so special? Parting the young, delicate skin to expose the inner workings of his body. Then cut and divide it further to get into the soul. Oh he could find out so much...

'Oh no no no,' Stein gave his screw a couple more turns. 'Nearly got ahead of myself there. I have to be more on guard. I can't let something like that happen while I'm on my mission.'

Stein gave Justin what he hoped was a comforting smile.

"That's kind of you to say. Now what information do you have for me?"

Justin nodded, slipping quickly into business mode.

"Follow me. I'll brief you about what I've found out."

Justin turned to leave the room through a door on the opposite side of the room. As Stein followed him out he took the opportunity to study his surroundings.

The room they were in currently had no windows only a large ornate mirror from which he entered and a big black door to which he was heading to. The wallpaper was black and covered in cartoon skulls and there were pictures hanging on the walls of Death and Shibusen.

Clearly this rooms only purpose was to contact Lord Death and Justin had no problem showing Death that he was a fan. Looking down Stein noted the large rug in the centre of the room. A rug with a large skull on it.

Ok so Justin was a big fan.

That wasn't a problem. Teenagers needed role-models didn't they? It probably wasn't anything to worry about.

As they left the room Stein got a sense of how large Justin's house was. As a Death Scythe in charge of half a continent, Justin certainly wasn't poor. This was clear by the size of the hall in which the two entered. It wasn't as large as Spirit's but it was far more barren.

Two floors were visible with a grand staircase leading up to the second storey. The whole second floor was visible as a balcony overlooking the ground floor. The whole effect would be very grand if it wasn't for the lack of any decoration whatsoever. There were no paintings or pictures, no wallpapers or posters, nor were there any colours or carpets. The drab wooden floor was the most notable decoration that Stein could see. Even the walls were a sort of dirty white colour. It was sterile. Lifeless. Stein looked at Justin with a hint of worry.

A fourteen-year-old lived here alone? For how long?

"Is this your place then?" Stein questioned, keeping his tone casual.

"Oh yes. I was given it when I was assigned to this area." Justin replied cheerfully. Stein filed that away. He'd been living here all alone for a year now. It must be terribly quiet. No wonder he played music all the time.

Justin led the scientist across the hall and into a kitchen-like area. There was a bit more colour here due to the windows but not much. The whole house looked barely lived in. Justin sat down at an old oak table. It was piled high with numerous books and files lying open, their contents strewn all over the surface. Stein sat down opposite him, putting down his suitcase. Justin pulled out a few pieces of paper sorting them out.

"Sorry about the mess." He quickly apologised, "I've been quite busy with management. I am in charge of the Western European branch of Shibusen." He stated the last part with emphasis; as if to remind Stein of the fact.

"It's alright. This is why I use a computer. It makes things far easier." Stein said. The Death Scythe looked interested,

"I'll look into it." Justin rifled through a few more files before finding the one he needed.

"Ahhh, here it is." He handed the sheet to Stein. "This is information on the interview you need to pass to become a teacher at Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts?" Stein asked, thinking he'd misheard.

"That's the name of the school you'll be joining." Justin replied with no hint of humour whatsoever.

"Of course it is."

"I've also been doing my own research in the past few months. That way you won't have to go in blind." Months? Well that confirmed Stein's suspicions that Death had been planning this for quite some time.

"Anything crucial I should know?"

"They refer to themselves as wizards and witches. Although from what I've seen so far they are very different to the Witches we're used to fighting."

"How so?" Stein questioned leaning forward and linking his fingers together, studying Justin intently. If the Death Scythe was put off by this he didn't mention it.

"For one thing, their magic seems less inherently destructive. They use magic for a large variety of purposes. Housework, protection, that sort of thing." Stein nodded.

"What about their souls? Do they know Soul Protect? Is that why we're only recently finding things out about them?"

"Well I don't have Soul Perception so you'll have to find that out for yourself. They didn't feel any different from ordinary humans. Or muggles as you'll have to get used to calling them." There was a little smile in the corner of Justin's mouth. It appeared he, like Death, found the word rather amusing.

"Judging by their newspaper; they seem rather proud and arrogant, although that's just my opinion." Justin continued. "They seem rather dismissive of non-magical people,"

Stein looked grave. That could be serious. If they were a threat to world peace then they'd have to be removed. Who knows what sort of damage an unknown community of Witches could cause?

"How'd you find all this out?" Stein asked. Justin seemed surprisingly adept at information gathering. Here the kid looked rather smug,

"I walked right into a magical shop and took quite a few things without them noticing. Their protections don't do much when you're expecting to see something there." Stein raised an eyebrow at that, not quite understanding. But then again, Death Scythes were essentially magical weapons. Maybe that helped in some way?

"I also got a few books for you to read." Here Justin leant over and shoved a few rather large and old-looking tomes at Stein.

The scientist rifled through a few of them;

Hogwarts: A History,

An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe,

A History of Magic,

Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century.

Stein had much reading to do before his interview if he was to successfully pass himself off as an adult wizard.

"This seems almost too easy." Stein commented stacking the books on top of one another. "They're not suspicious of you are they?"

"Oh no." Justin said, "the woman at the counter was really polite. Kept calling me muggleborn since I didn't know what a galleon was." Here his brow wrinkled in confusion, "I thought it was a kind of ship and she laughed at me." Stein was taken aback at that. They seemed like very trusting people if they didn't suspect Justin of anything. Maybe there wouldn't be as much of a danger as he thought.

"What do you know about Hogwarts?" Stein asked Justin.

"It's apparently Britain's Wizarding school. And is located somewhere in Scotland." He answered looking back over his notes.

"What the only one?" Stein questioned. Justin nodded.

"There are only eleven wizarding schools in the entire world." He explained eyes back to his notes. Stein made a mental note of that. It was good news, since it meant that there couldn't be too many wizards and witches running about that Shibusen wasn't aware of. Shibusen itself had eight branches, so they couldn't be that outnumbered if they brought in their reserves...

Stein shook his head. He was getting carried away. Things weren't that dire yet.

"Anything else pressing I need to know?"

Justin nodded, "Yes. The Headmaster of Hogwarts is a man named Albus Dumbledore. He is considered to be one of the most powerful wizards to have ever lived and the most powerful wizard alive now." Here Justin looked straight at Stein, "He will be the one interviewing you next month." Stein froze for a moment before holding his head in his hands.

He had to be kidding. His first real interaction with a new kind of magical human and it was going to be with the most powerful one alive?! He was going to have to study hard. On the plus side though, if he could fool Dumbledore then it probably meant he could fool the rest. Not to mention that if he failed and was ousted as not a real wizard he could try negotiating on behalf of Shibusen. Although Death certainly wouldn't be pleased...

"The interview will be taking place in a town called Hogsmeade. In the Three Broomsticks Inn." Justin read carefully off of one of his notes.

"Where is the town?"

"Near Hogwarts. Lord Death is granting you permission to use his mirrors for transport on this occasion." Justin said with amazement. He was still new to all of this. Stein reminded himself. The boy was young, he'd hardly been in his position for a year.

"Ah good. Although I hope he gets the right mirror this time. Last time something like this happened I had to rescue some students who were in way too deep over their heads. I came out of a mirror in the middle of a store and frightened a young couple." Stein remembered it rather fondly. Fortunately the students were still alright by the time he and Marie arrived. The Witch was easily dealt with.

"That must have been difficult." Justin chuckled. Stein gave a long-suffering nod.

"Anyway, I should get settled in."

"Of course!" Justin immediately stood up. "I'll show you to your room."

The Death Scythe escorted Stein up the stairs and through a hallway until they reached the room.

"This is it." Justin declared opening the door.

Stein looked into the room, it was decent. A window, a bed and even an en-suite bathroom.

"Thank you Justin" Stein said gratefully, putting down his suitcase then depositing his new books on a nearby desk. "I can take care of myself so there's no need to worry. Just go about your business as usual while I'm here" he finished trying to reassure the young teenager.

"I will sir. You won't have to worry about me," Justin replied. "If there's an emergency I sleep-"

Stein held up a hand,

"I think it'd be better if I don't know where you sleep." He interrupted.

'Makes it less tempting for me to dissect you in your sleep.' Stein thought to himself giving his screw a couple of clockwise turns. Justin looked confused for a second before brushing it off.

"Alright then. I've also got a training room down in the basement if you ever need to use it." He quickly mentioned. "I'll see you later then." Stein nodded absentmindedly as Justin closed the door behind him. A training room? That would be very useful. Some of his skills had rusted somewhat since he last had a major fight. Stein clenched his fist. It would be a very interesting month for sure.

* * *

><p>Stein ducked under one of Justins arm blades then dodged another before a well-executed Soul Menace sent the young boy tumbling away head-over-heels. Justin regained his balance and stared at Stein, silently planning his next move. Twisting the screw in his head Stein took the opportunity to view his sparring partners soul.<p>

It was certainly large. A bright blue and black, with what looked like castle turrets? No a large guillotine decorated with upside-down crosses marking the sides.

How appropriate.

Stein had some time ago asked the boy why he had no meister. Justin had promptly transformed, answering Steins question. How the hell were you supposed to wield a guillotine?

Stein was also becoming concerned that Justin's introverted nature, along with the fact that he wasn't pushed at all to interact with others his own age might have affected him somewhat. Despite that however Justin was passionate and extremely loyal to his perceived God. And he had such a powerful soul for such a young age. The boy must have trained himself relentlessly.

What the boy did next took Stein off-guard. He unhooked the cross he kept around his neck and began to pray.

"Oh blessed Lord Death, you who dwell within Death City..." Stein filtered out the actual words only to gasp at what was happening to Justins soul. His wavelenth was becoming larger! His soul swelled up to over twice its usual size and seemed to glow with power.

'Uh oh' Stein thought realising Justin was preparing a powerful attack.

"In the name of the great Lord Death!" Finishing his prayer Justin showed his arm-blade towards Stein. It was glowing brightly.

'Shit!' Inwardly cursing himself for gawking at the boys wavelength instead of just dodging, he thrust his palms out, Stein got ready to block or die.

"Law Abiding Silver Gun!" A white energy beam, the shape of Justins blade, shot out of his arm and almost instantly reached Steins palms. They clashed together in a shower of white and yellow sparks as the two attacks fought for supremacy.

'Incredible. Such a strong attack...' Stein thought excitedly, digging his feet deeply into the ground so as not to get blown away. 'Truly what you can expect from a Death Scythe.'

Even after almost a month of living with the boy, Justin still managed to find ways to surprise him.

'However, still not good enough.' Increasing his own wavelength through his two hands, Stein then twisted them together. Justins attack shattered like glass and Dr Stein almost fell forward from the sudden loss of momentum. Justin stood there, a look of shock on his face.

'I have to end it now while he's still stunned!' In a burst of speed, Stein literally vanished before Justins eyes, appearing right in front of him, his hand charged with yellow energy.

"Soul Menace!" Adapting his wavelength to one that would be the most damaging to Justin's soul, Stein slammed his palm into Justins stomach; causing a shockwave, doubling the boy over and making blood leak from his mouth. It even caused his earphones to fall out. Stein let out a breath of relief. He stood up slowly as Justin crumpled before him, clutching his stomach in pain.

"Good work." Stein complimented, taking a cigarette out of one of his pockets and lighting it. "Had I not been getting back into shape that would have been _very _difficult for me to do." He helped the injured boy up who didn't react to his words at all.

Stein's eyes narrowed. "You certainly deserve your position. I haven't had a fight like that in years." Yeah, there we go. That brought a slight smirk to the teenagers face.

"Maybe I'll surpass you soon." Justin said as he leant against Stein and the two began hobbling back towards the basement entrance.

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Stein lectured, "You've got years yet before you're on my level. Your body is still growing, you're not at your physical peak yet."

Justins basement was, rather like the rest of the house, unnecessarily large. A huge stone-led room filled with open spaces, training dummies and large boulders. The lighting was fantastic. It was almost like being outside from how well the huge place was lit. It was unlikely Justin made this himself. Probably from the previous Deathscythe who lived here before they were killed.

Eventually they reached the kitchen where Stein sat the boy down. Already Justin's powerful wavelength was repairing the damage he sustained from Stein's earlier attack. He'd be perfectly fine in a couple of hours. Stein sat down in his own chair opposite to that of Justin's and let his body relax.

"Dr Stein?" Justin spoke up suddenly, slumping back in the chair he was dumped on. "Isn't your interview tomorrow?" It was in fact. Tomorrow Stein will be travelling to the Three Broomsticks Inn where he'd be meeting the most powerful wizard alive.

"Yes. Don't worry, I've read the books you gave me. I'm pretty sure I know enough about their world to pass the interview." Stein took a long drag on his cigarette and breathed out slowly, relaxing into his chair.

He'd learnt an awful lot about the history of Wizarding. Hogwarts itself was actually older than Shibusen, which had taken Stein by surprise. At about 1000 years of age to Shibusen's 800. It was also around about this time that the Wizarding World began to withdraw from the muggle world and began to hide in secret. This was due to the increasing amounts of persecution and distrust the muggles seemed to have for the magical-folk.

This was also suspiciously close to around the time when Asura descended into madness and Death was forced to fight and imprison him. There was no mention of them in these texts, meaning that the existence of the Great Old Ones was unlikely to be common knowledge. Or that the Wizarding World simply hadn't noticed anything strange occurring at the time.

'There probably wasn't enough time for them to be affected as deeply by the madness as the normal humans were.' Stein reasoned to himself. 'No wonder they didn't notice anything except for the sudden increase in witch and wizard persecutions.' Other than that, Stein had noticed a few other things.

As befitting magic users, they had a much longer life-expectancy than that of normal humans such as Stein. Apparently the average life-expectancy of a modern witch or wizard was roughly 137 years. While there was the occasional wizard who would live for a few hundred years, this was more of a phenomena than an expected standard. Even this was, of course, nowhere near that of the Witches Stein was used to fighting. Some of whom could live for over a 1000 years without much trouble or even aging visibly at all.

'It's rather unfair.' Stein thought annoyed.

Justin's initial observations also seemed to be proving correct. Unlike the Witches, wizardkind tended to use magic for more diverse purposes. He'd come across a 'Flame-freezing' charm in his studies that reduced what should have been a painful and deadly burning to a mild tickling sensation. There were charms, jinxes, curses and hexes, all of which with many different purposes from doing the dishes to causing your snot to sprout wings and attack you.

Incredible potions for a variety of effects, such a love potion as well as one that made you lucky. They didn't seem to be succumbing to the Sway of Magic like the Witches did. Although there were a few.

Notable dark wizards such as Gellert Gindelwald and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named ('And I thought Death-the-Kid was a bad name to have.') were examples of when the Sway of Magic affected normal wizards and witches. Although as far as Stein could see their whole society seemed rather benevolent.

Young wizards and witches were taken in and trained in order to control their magic, a practice both Stein and Death would approve of, even when in rare cases magic seems to appear out of nowhere in muggle families. Perhaps exposure to magic at a young age or in utero caused a child to develop their own? The human body was amazingly adaptable. No-one knew that better than Stein. Perhaps he should look into the matter further...

A sudden chiming, the solemn ring of Jusins doorbell, disrupted Steins focus. Justin made no move to answer, his earphones were back in place, making him dead to the world.

Stein stood up to go answer the door. It was highly unusual. The whole month he'd been staying here Justin hadn't had a single visitor. They were supposed to be incognito. Stein walked towards the front door pondering, 'Who on earth could possibly know where they were?'

Opening the front door quickly answered that question.

"Oh," was all the scientist could say.

"Ah my good friend Stein!" Tezca Tlipoca greeted happily. He grabbed Steins hand with both of his own and shook vigorously. "It's been far too long since we talked, am I right?!" He then laughed uproaringly as if Stein had said something backbreakingly hilarious.

"Ah Tezca. I'd say it's been too long, but we both know that'd be a lie." Stein said dryly.

At this comment the man wearing the bear mask began laughing even more outrageously. Clutching his belly with glee the man yelled,

"Oh how I missed your wit!" Walking forward into the house and calming himself down he asked,

"So where is my good buddy Justin?! I hear he's playing host while you're on your secret mission!" Stein inwardly groaned.

Did everyone know?! So much for the secret part.

"Yes, he's in the kitchen. Funny, I didn't know you two were aquainted." Tezca just chuckled, thankfully much quieter than before.

"I've been mentoring the young one ever since he was assigned here a year ago. It isn't easy being a Death Scythe after all. The poor boy seemed so lonely all the time I thought I'd step in." The eccentric man explained.

Stein could easily believe that. Justin did seem rather lonely. Playing his loud music all the time, living in a large empty house, such little interaction with anyone besides Stein himself. Lately even that interaction seemed to be happening less often as Justin spent more and more time either working or in his Death Room doing who knows what, while Stein prepared for his mission.

It was good that the older Death Scythe was looking out for him, although...

"He's never mentioned you." Stein said, keeping his tone neutral. "You'd think he would have if you two were as close as you said."

Tezca's reaction was, as to be expected, over the top. He leapt into the air in shock,

"What!?" He yelled and clutched at his head-mask in horror. "But he's such a nice person! He always listens to what I have to say and never judges me about it. He's very accepting and I consider him a friend! How can he not have mentioned me once?!" Although he was yelling Stein could tell there was no real anger in the mans voice, just slight frustration.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Stein motioned towards the kitchen where Justin was currently residing. "He's right through there." Tezca ran through, his arms making exaggerated running gestures as he sprinted into the kitchen.

"JUSTIN!"

Stein took another long, and much needed, drag on his cigarette and closed the front door before following the Death Scythe at a much more sedated pace. When he entered the kitchen Tezca was sitting in his seat looking across at Justin chatting the poor boys ears off.

"And so when Enrique -he's my meister remember when I told you about him?- showed the poor woman her new haircut and she FREAKED! Hahahaha! You could hear her scream for miles!" He clutched his belly, laughing good-naturedly as Justin continued to stare at him blankly. When Stein entered the kitchen, Justin glanced his way, making Tezca turn to face him.

"You know for Shibusen's greatest meister you sure are slow!" Tezca said teasingly to him. It was impossible to tell his facial expression under that bear mask of his but Stein got the impression the man was grinning at him.

"I'm only slow when I want to be." Stein replied, "Justin can attest to that." Justin smiled,

"Oh yes, only a few minutes ago we were sparring and Stein soundly defeated me! It's clear I still have much to learn about being a Death Scythe!" He was shouting for some reason... Oh yeah, he put his earphones back in earlier.

"Why Justin, you're rather talkative today." Tezca noticed, leaning forward. "And you seem to have become good friends with Dr Stein as well." Justin said nothing. He just stared at the man blankly. Stein raised an eyebrow.

"How come you never mentioned me Justin?" The man asked, before putting a finger to his mask in thought, "I guess you just wanted to remain professional in front of Stein. Yes that makes sense." He held up his palm, "No need to explain my boy, I understand completely!"

It suddenly made sense to Stein, why Justin never mentioned Tezca.

It was so obvious he almost slapped himself for not realising it. Justin could read Steins lips when he spoke, meaning he could still understand the scientist when he had his earphones in. Tezca's mask covered his entire face though, meaning...

Tezca continued to chat at Justin while the boy remained utterly blank, occasionally glancing at Stein in confusion. Stein had to stifle a chuckle and walked over to the boy.

"Justin take out your earphones." He ordered, patting the boy on the shoulder. Tezca stopped dead in the middle of whatever it was he was saying.

"Huh?!" He asked.

Justin blinked for a moment before doing so.

"Why did you want me to take them out?" Stein gestured towards Tezca.

"Are those earphones?" The man asked curiously. "Why what a fantastic invention! How long have you had them? What kind of music do you listen too Justin? I honestly prefer headphones but each to his own I suppose."

"W-what...?" Justin seemed utterly overwhelmed by the strange man.

"I'll let you two get acquainted." Stein said before making his way out of the kitchen door and towards his room. There was no way he was staying near Tezca for too long.

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Tezca asked before it suddenly clicked for him. "Wait! You've been wearing those the whole time-" The door shutting cut him off as Stein began walking up the stairs towards his room. Taking another final drag on his cigarette before throwing it away, Stein sat down at his desk and continued his studies for the interview tomorrow.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, as Stein made his way down he saw Justin at the door along with Tezca.<p>

"It was nice to hear you talk to me for once Justin." The man said happily clasping the boy's hand in his own. "I can't believe I never noticed it before."

"That's alright." Justin replied and, much to Stein's shock, smiling at the man.

"I look forward to seeing you again Justin, farewell!" The man waved as he walked out of the door.

"I'd like that. Goodbye." Shutting the door, Justin then leant against it and gave a loud sigh as he relaxed somewhat.

"It went well I presume?" Stein asked, making Justin sigh again.

"He's... a lot to deal with. But... I did enjoy talking with him." He finished after some thought.

"That's good." Stein said.

It was important the boy talked with some people at least; in order to keep him stable. Tezca could, surprisingly enough, provide that stability. Despite what Justin seemed to think, a God could not provide the same support that a friend could. Stein knew that all too well.

If it hadn't been for his friends, Marie and Spirit in particular, eventually even his fear of Death wouldn't have been enough to hold his madness in check. No, in the end it had been his fear of disappointing them. Disappointing those who trusted in him, until eventually that fear of disappointing them morphed into a different fear. The fear of losing their friendship. With that strength, Stein would gladly fight against his madness until the day he died.

"Maybe with enough time, you two will actually become friends, although it will certainly take some time. Now, I have a long day tomorrow, so I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

Having finished speaking, Stein gave a small wave and went back into his room, ready for whatever trials tomorrow would bring. Justin stared after him for a moment before smiling to himself and going off to his own room. Perhaps he could skip evening prayer just this one time.

* * *

><p>Stein sorted out his labcoat so that he looked somewhat formal. He gave his screw a good couple of clockwise turns, he didn't want to dissect the man during the interview. That sort of thing could affect his chances of getting hired. After sorting himself out, Stein made his way downstairs and back towards the room where he had first arrived here. It looked exactly the same as he remembered, skulls and Death memorabilia everywhere. Stein checked his watch, it should be time any minute now...<p>

Ping.

Ah there we go. The mirror grew dark and the familiar form of Death appeared.

"Yo! Dr Stein, how've ya been?! Are ya' ready for the interview?" He asked just as bubbly as usual, almost bouncing up and down with excitement.

"Yes Lord Death. I've been preparing myself extensively." The scientist replied dryly.

"That's good to hear. Remember to try and act like one of them. I picked you because I believe that you can do this. Good luck Stein, we're counting on you." And like that the image of the Grim Reaper vanished to be replaced by a black mirror. Experienced at this, Stein started by leaning forward and poking hs head through.

The mirror came out into what looked like a public lavatory. There were empty toilet stalls and urinals. Checking the coast was clear Stein stepped forward.

Bang!

'Ow...' Looking down it turned out he was coming out a mirror located right above a sink.

Ignoring the pain in his knee, Stein carefully climbed over the sink and into the bathroom. Behind him the mirror returned to it's normal colour, reflecting the back of Stein's head.

He cautiously opened the door and took a peak outside. He was in a cheerful-looking place. Lights hung from the ceiling, a warm fire was kindled in the corner and there was a righteous hum in the background as patrons drank and laughed and talked amongst themselves. What was interesting was the attire of the people in question. They were all wearing robes of some description along with quite a few pointy hats.

Pointy hats...really? It was surprisingly stereotypical. He gave his screw a couple of turns. Looking at their souls yielded something interesting. None were any larger than that of a typical humans. They were a darker shade of blue however.

Where normal human souls were a light blue colour, like the sky on a sunny day, these were a darker shade, like the sea. The colours also varied among people, some darker shades and others lighter shades.

'It must be related to their magical power' Stein theorised.

A Witches soul was a dark purple colour whereas these wizards and witches were all different shades of blue. It was rather pretty to look at.

He idly wondered what it would look like when one was strapped to his table. Unable to move, he'd bring the scalpel down. Beautiful shades of blue mixed with wondrous reds and blacks!

Stein gave his screw a couple more turns to be on the safe side. He refused to think about it. He was stronger than that.

He straightened and walked out of the bathroom like he'd only popped in there for a moment. He walked straight to the bar where a young woman was serving drinks. As her latest customer turned away to return to their friends he spoke,

"Excuse me Miss?" She turned towards him and froze. Her eyes turned quickly to the screw in his head and the stitches across his face and his clothes. Stein ignored this with a practiced ease and contiued politely. "I'm looking for a man named Albus Dumbledore. I have an appointment with him soon and I don't want to miss it." Immediately the womans countenance warmed at the mention of Dumbledore's name.

"Ah, you must be the young man he mentioned he'd be interviewing. You...err...certainly look different to the other candidates." At Steins questioning glance, she quickly backtracked. "Younger...I mean. The other ones I saw seemed over fifty."

That was bad. If Stein was going to be getting the job he was going to have to go against some experienced competition. Death had made him look good on paper, but against those who were twice as old as him that would only carry him so far. Stein sighed. Sensing his distress, the barwoman's countenance went straight from awkward to kind,

"Here it's alright. Take a seat. Tell you what, you can have a Butterbeer on the house." Before he could say anything she had waved a stick in the air almost absentmindedly. He watched as a glass behind her floated under a tap, upon which it was filled with some golden substance. The glass then floated in front of him and sat there; just inviting him to drink it.

"Dumbledore is busy interviewing one of the other candidates upstairs as we speak. When she comes down I'll tell you. In the meanwhile, please sit down" The witch seemingly pulled a barstool out of nowhere and Stein, politely obliged her.

"That's very kind of you miss." Stein said happily. He decided playing the nervous new teacher angle might help him here.

"Please call me Rosmerta." She giggled, clearing what little dust was on the counter with a flick of her wand. Stein saw this and inwardly marvelled at the usefulness of such a thing. He took a slight sip of the drink. It tasted of a somewhat watered down version of butterscotch. It wasn't unpleasant.

"My name is Stein. Thank you for the drink, I've come a long way."

"Ah, where are you from?" Rosmerta questioned, leaning forward and looking interested.

"I came from America." It wasn't a lie. Death City was in Nevada. Rosmerta's mouth formed a perfect 'o'.

"Wow! You've come far. You must really want that job." Stein nodded. Time to see if he could insert some of his newfound knowledge into the conversation.

"Yes. I took a portkey to get to Britain of course. I then stayed with a friend for a couple of days before flying all the way here by broomstick." Stein kept up his friendly facade whilst studying her soul carefully for any traces of disbelief.

"That must have been a long trip. You should have used Floo! I keep telling them this town needs a reliable public hook-up but they say 'No. It's too close to Hogwarts and you can always just apparate in if you need too'." She shook her head in annoyance and put her hands on her hips, "I swear, some of those Ministry Officials are just the worst. Don't care about anything other than themselves they don't."

As she chatted on with Stein nodding every now and then when appropriate, he inwardly smiled. He appeared to be fitting in quite well. It looks as if the store Justin bought those books was reliable after all.

'Perhaps the meeting won't be as tense as I thought' Stein comforted himself, glad things seemed to be going his way for once.

The witch Rosmerta seemed very talkative and was utterly taken in by his nervous foreign teacher persona. Her soul, being untrained, was easy for him to read. Her personality, her current emotions, everything was laid utterly bare before him. And she didn't even know it. Unlike the Witches he fought, they seemed utterly unaware of the soul itself. Not only did they not seem to know Soul Protect, they also didn't seem to know how to mask their soul at all. Thus leaving their feelings bare for those people with a skill at Soul Perception to read. People like him, Stein privately chuckled to himself.

"What do you know of Professor Dumbledore then?" Rosmerta asked kindly.

'It seems the bar isn't too busy today' Stein noted as she was still conversing with him.

"Well, I only know what I've read really." Stein admitted, adding just the right touch of nervousness and hesitation. "Tell me, what is the man actually like?"

"Ah, now that would be telling." Rosmerta said teasingly. But then she leaned in like she was about to depart some great secret, "although he is much nicer than you probably think he is. That rule has always kept me in good stead with that man." She said this proudly, like it was an honour to personally know the great Albus Dumbledore. For all Stein knew it probably was.

"Really?" Stein put a touch of innocence and a bit of hopefulness in his voice. "That's a relief. I am a bit nervous to meet him really." That was actually true. If there was anyone who could see through his ruse it would be that man.

"Oh don't you worry you'll do just fine. Oh there she is!" She motioned to a witch who was making her way down the stairs. "He's done with that candidate." She seemed to hiss to herself, "Oh, she doesn't look happy" she mumbled to herself. "Anyway off you pop. He's in room 3-F." With those parting words Stein thanked her and quickly headed up the stairs.

In preparation for the interview Stein decided to act more natural. Putting up such a fake facade was unlikely to fool the greatest wizard alive. He would act like he normally would, hiding his madness of course, and play up that he was foreign. Who knows? The man might actually favour a bit of diversity among his staff. Quickly finding the room, Dr Stein knocked respectfully.

"Do come in" said a voice from the other side. Opening the door Stein found himself in a small bare room with a desk in the middle and an old man with a long beard seated on the other end.

"Ah, you must be Mr Stein." The old man stood up to shake his hand in a warm, friendly manner.

"And you must be the esteemed Professor Dumbledore" Stein said in his usual dry tone firmly grasping the old man's hand. He was rather tall with blue eyes that twinkled in a manner which made Stein uncomfortable. He had a long crooked nose, it had clearly been broken at least once in his life. He wore half-moon spectacles and was clothed in robes of a deep purple colour. As their hands retracted Stein took a quick peek at the man's soul.

Ah...now that was interesting.

It was a large, much larger than any of the other patrons in the bar. It just about encompassed his whole body and was a light purple colour. Also unlike the others, there were further details. Symbols and structures attached to it. Something you only see in souls very firm in their particular beliefs.

A strange symbol, a triangle with what looked like a circle inside it with a single vertical line going through, stood on one part. Along with many other ancient looking runes circling his soul, whose meanings Stein couldn't even begin to guess.

"Ah, do forgive me for sitting down" Dumbledore apologised, slowly sitting down. "I'm not as young as I used to be."

"And yet you still got up to shake my hand." Stein said, "I'm honoured." To his great surprise the old wizard chuckled.

"You _are_ different to the others" he said with good humour and a hint of surprise. "When I read your name was Mr Franken Stein, I didn't expect the resemblance to be so uncanny."

He was referring to the novel of course, which was surprising since it was, as far as Stein knew, written by a muggle. Shibusen allowed you to sign up with whatever name you wanted. Stein had been with Spirit at the time and when the red-headed boy suggested the name Frankenstein since Stein always wore stitched clothes and had silver-grey hair. Misunderstanding him, Stein had then done exactly that.

The look on Spirit's face when he told him he signed up as Franken Stein still gave him chuckles to this very day.

"My parents weren't very imaginative." Stein deadpanned sitting down opposite Dumbledore. The old man's eyes twinkled,

"Ah yes, I can guess. When I was young I once knew a chap who was named Fartickles. He got quite cross whenever anyone reminded him of that fact." Stein smirked and relaxed a little. It was clear the headmaster was using humour to try and put him at ease. Strangely enough it was working.

"I'd imagine so." Stein agreed giving him a friendly smile.

"Now from what I remember your qualifications certainly are impressive; especially for one so young." Dumbledore complimented.

"Thank you" Stein responded sincerely.

"You may not be aware but I also received a letter of recommendation from your previous headmaster." Stein's eyes widened in surprise.

"My previous headmaster?" There was only one person that could be. Clearly Lord Death had put more on his form then he had been told.

"Why yes." Dumbledore observed him over his spectacles. "He seemed rather fond of you, describing you as rather prodigal in your subject. It's good that you find it important to cultivate a healthy respect for muggles. Personally, I feel we don't appreciate them enough. Sherbet Lemon?" He offered forth a small yellow sweet that sat there innocently in the palm of his hand.

Stein declined, not overly fond of sweets. The Headmaster quickly popped the sweet into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. Stein decided to go out on a limb.

"I've always found them rather like us." Stein said neutrally, his yellow eyes locking onto Dumbledore's electic blue. "Some good, some bad. Honestly there seems to be little difference." Something in Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at that, a vague interest perhaps or a silent agreement.

"But there are differences" The Headmaster stated, or was it question? Stein couldn't tell.

"Yes," here the scientist paused, thinking about it. He gave his screw a couple of turns absentmindedly as he thought. Dumbledore barely blinked at this. "We are far more easily tempted to do wrong."

Stein cast his mind back to his past experiences at Shibusen. Interacting with normal humans on missions, people who were weak. He could have done what he willed with them, torn them apart. They couldn't have stopped him. It would have been like fighting children. "When there is no fear of consequence, corruption takes hold." If it hadn't been for his fear of Lord Death, his fear of being placed on that dreaded list, he would have slaughtered without abandon.

"So fear is all that keeps people doing good? Fear is what keeps us separate from the Dark?" Dumbledore questioned in a strange tone.

"Not necessarily. I find that the bonds we make between each other are what define us. What we are willing to do to keep those bonds strong, what actions we take. That is what shows us who we truly are."

Stein wasn't an unrepentant murderer. Nature may have intended him to take that path, by gifting him with such a powerful madness, but he would fight against it with everything he had. He would fight against it for Marie, for Spirit, for Justin and even for little Maka.

"We can all be unbelievably dangerous if we choose to be. But it is that choice that decides who we are." Long ago Stein chose not to be a murderer. It was difficult, unbelievably hard at first.

As cliché as it sounded, it was only because of the bonds he had made with others that he succeeded. They all saw something in him, something Stein himself to this day doesn't fully understand, but they saw something in him worth saving.

Dumbledore's eyes were no longer twinkling, instead they were a deep piercing blue colour. For the first time since he met the wizard, Stein was able to remind himself that this old man, for all his strangeness, was both powerful and wise beyond measure.

"My, my you certainly _are _different." He seemed to murmur to himself, before the twinkling was back and a kind old smile placed itself back onto the wizards face.

Stein inwardly tensed. He had let out a little more than he had intended too. He gave his screw a couple more turns, vowing not to let his guard down again around this strange old man.

"It's good you have such a strong sense of responsibility." Dumbledore said kindly. "As the muggle saying goes; with great power comes a great responsibility, I believe."

Stein chuckled, "It seems they're always a few steps ahead of us in that regard." They both chuckled a little. However neither took their eyes off of the other, both silently reassessing their first opinions of the other.

The rest of the interview passed quickly. In a calm manner Dumbledore questioned Stein on his experiences with muggles. Since he was posing as a half-blood -because being muggle-born wouldn't explain his fascination with muggles and being pure-blood could easily be found out via family treses- he explained that he had always wanted to figure out how muggles got by in their day-to-day lives without relying on magic. How they were so powerful without having a single drop of magical blood in their veins, and so on and so forth.

It was rather pointless since both of them had put up their boundaries. It had become obvious to Stein that they had both let slip more than they had intended to. Stein hadn't meant to express as much of his own personal views, whereas Dumbledore hadn't meant to show as much of an interest as he clearly did. Now the barriers were back up and they chatted with each other meaninglessly, each learning nothing.

About ten minutes later Dumbledore seemed to have silently reached some sort of decision.

"Yes, America tends to rely less on the instruction of pure-blood wizarding families." Stein said, putting his aquired knowledge to good use. It was clearly something Dumbledore already knew, but in the interest of politeness the man let Stein speak. "We're a less developed magical community, relative to that of say Britain, and some people tend to be a bit too lax in maintaining the International Statute of Secrecy."

"And what is your opinion on the matter?" Dumbledore questioned,

"I think that the muggles will find out eventually -they always do- and that steps should be taken in advance so that the initial coming together of our worlds won't be quite as world-shaking for them or us. When that will be is something I have little clue on" Stein finished rather pleased with himself. He was sounding convincingly like a wizard!

Dumbledore nodded,

"Yes, our previous muggle-studies teacher thought much the same thing. He'll now be teaching Defence against the Dark Arts this year and good luck to him." Dumbledore glanced at his watch. Instead of numbers there were planets and instead of two hands there were five.

"Oh Merlin, is that the time?!" He was actually surprised. "How it flies when discussing such interesting matters. Now, my Deputy will most likely be rather annoyed wih me for this, but I shall be doing it anyway." Dumbledore stood up.

"Professor Stein, please allow me the honour of being the first to say; welcome to Hogwarts." The great wizard smiled kindly, the perfect picture of a jolly old man.

Stein let his shock show on his face. He'd honestly thought he'd messed up at the beginning. He'd accidentally hinted that he was more dangerous than he should be! Yet he was still being hired!?

"Why...thank you. It's an honour." Stein admitted, also standing up in order to shake the wizards hand.

"An owl will be sent to you with all the necessary details of your employment." The great wizard began, "I look forward to seeing you on the 1st September, when term starts."

"Thank you sir. It was...pleasant chatting with you." Stein turned around to leave. He shut the door behind him and walked down the stairs. The bar was almost empty, only Rosmerta and a few others were still there.

Acting stealthily he quickly slipped into the bathroom before she could notice him and inevitably try to talk to him again. He ran to the sink and splashed some water on his sweaty face; his hands were shaking from restraining his desire to dissect the man. He needed a smoke, badly.

Stein quickly composed himself, there would be time for that later, and breathed on the mirror.

Raising a finger he quickly wrote: 42-42-564.

Ping!

The mirror glowed white, revealing Death's comforting presence.

"Yo, yo! Hello Stein! What's the news? How'd it go?!" Death asked happily, bouncing up and down. Stein let out a shaky breath.

"Mission accomplished. I've been accepted into Hogwarts as the new Muggle Studies teacher."

"Excellent work Stein! I knew you had it in you!" Death congratulated. "Now get some rest and tomorrow we'll discuss what else is needed to be done."

"Very well sir." Stein said, thankful for the break. The figure of Death vanished, once again leaving the mirror a pure black colour. Eager to leave, Stein climbed over the sink and into the mirror. After he had vanished the mirror returned to it's original properties.

Just in time for Professor Dumbledore to enter the bathroom.

"Oh, Professor Stein? Hate to bother you but-hmm?" Dumbledore paused, looking around the small windowless room. There was no sign of the man whom Rosmerta was sure had just entered the bathroom.

He waved his wand. To an ordinary man, nothing much happened. All that could be seen was an old man waving a stick in the air. He then muttered to himself,

"Not invisible, untraceable." He left the bathroom. "Madam Rosmerta -forgive me- but may I enquire as to the status of your anti-disapparation jinxes?"

"No need to apologise Professor." Rosmerta replied waving her wand. She then tilted her head as if listening to something. "They're all going strong Professor. Why do you ask?"

The powerful wizard stroked his beard thoughtfully,

"Oh no particular reason. Only, perhaps this year will be _even more_ interesting than I thought it would be."

With that said, he bid good day to Rosmerta and strolled out of the Inn; where he promptly vanished.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So what do you think? Was everyone in character? Are you interested in the fic? If you have any ideas or comments, leave a review and let me know.**

**I'll be trying to update this once a week, but I have no set days due to my other fic taking up most of my time. **

**Hope you enjoyed, see you next week for the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm pleasantly surprised by the response this fic has gotten already. Massive thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed or favourited. **

**I should point out something though. For the purposes of this fic, Death City and the whole meister-weapon thing isn't public knowledge like it is in Soul Eater canon. This is mainly because if it was public knowledge for the muggles then it would also be somewhat public knowledge for the wizards. And that would take out a lot of the fun of this fic. If you want me to get into more detail about the matter just pm me. Hope that doesn't annoy too many people.**

**Anyway, I Hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater or Harry Potter.**

* * *

><p><strong>Diagon Alley<strong>

Ping! Stein stood in front of the mirror in Justin's house, ready to give his report. Justin stood to his side, his earphones already out of his ears, as Stein had reminded the boy.

"Yo, yo! Hello Stein and Justin!" Death greeted as the two stood up a little straighter. "Now then, about the rest of your mission Stein." He looked expectantly towards the scientist.

"Yes sir. Dumbledore said I could expect a letter later sometime this week, along with instructions on how to reach Hogwarts."

"Fantastic! In the meanwhile I've had a small amount of money transferred into Gringotts, the main Wizarding bank in Great Britain." Death said. "Their currency is odd, but despite that I've successfully set up your bank account."

Justin then handed Stein a small key. It looked old and sat comfortably in the middle of Stein's palm.

"You'll need that to withdraw money from your account." Justin explained.

"So what? Do I use a magical ATM?" Stein wondered out loud. What exactly did the key unlock? These wizards were never straightforward.

"No, no no." Death responded, shaking his head like you would at a child. "You'll need to go to Gringotts itself to withdraw the money. It's located in a place called Diagon Alley which can only be accessed via the Leaky Cauldron Pub."

'Of course.' He thought to himself.

"And where's that?" Stein asked in monotone.

"I'l take you there." Justin said. "It has some magical protection, so it's easy to miss."

"Good that that's sorted." Death piped in. "Now tell me about your interview. What was the man like?" Stein put the key into his pocket then lit a cigarette and took a long drag, thinking deeply about what to say.

"His soul was very interesting. It was far larger than any normal human's that's for sure. Although it had less raw magical power than a Witch's." He breathed out, letting the smoke flow out in front of him. "He is a man of deep convictions but is also very cautious. He kept criticising himself, almost as if he was afraid of going too far..."

Stein paused for a moment. "He also likes Sherbet Lemons."

There was another pause. "That's all I got." He gave a small shrug as he said it.

"Hmm, well that is interesting." Death said. "It's becoming less and less likely that these people have destructive tendencies in mind. Continue your mission for now Stein. There's still more information we need."

"Yes sir."

"Good luck, bye-bye!" Death waved an oversized hand as he faded from view and the mirror once more became a mirror.

Stein turned to Justin, "So where is the Leaky Cauldron exactly?"

"It's in London. Located between 48 Charing Cross Road and 12 Great Newport Street." Stein raised an eyebrow.

"If you can give me the exact directions why do you need to escort me?" He questioned.

"It's very easy to miss. Some sort of magical protection prevents ordinary people from seeing it. I looked it up and in official records, there is no building between those two places." Justin replied coolly.

Stein smiled, "Well, wizards certainly are interesting, aren't they?"

"Indeed."

* * *

><p>Stein was still continuing his training. After a decade of inactivity it can take some time to get back into shape. A single month wasn't enough. Shirtless, he struck out, his leg taking off the head of an imaginary enemy. Spinning around on his other leg, he quickly swapped legs and he nailed another one with a kick strong enough to lay a troll down flat. Hopping backwards to gain distance, he settled back into a ready pose. Panting for a moment Stein let his arms drop. He'd been at this for four hours now, it was time for a break.<p>

"Dr Stein!" Yelled a young voice from above. The basement door opened,

"What is it?!"

"The letter's arrived, but err...You should really come and see!" Justin called down before shutting the door.

'What could make it so urgent?' Stein wondered.

After a couple of moments, he had put on his shirt and lab coat and walked up the stairs. Entering the kitchen, Stein immediately saw why Justin was confused. The window was open and proudly standing on the kitchen table was a large barn owl. It looked straight at Stein who stared back at it blankly.

Justin, who was sitting at the table, gave him a look,

"See what I mean?" He asked, "It has a letter attached to it's ankle but tries to peck me and flies off whenever I try to grab it. I think the letter's for you." He said the last part dryly. The owl hooted, as if agreeing with the boy. As Stein approached it held out it's leg. Attached to it's leg was a somewhat chunky letter emblazened with the Hogwarts seal.

Stein carefully unhooked the letter from the owls leg. The address was written on the letter in bright green ink. It even labelled which room he slept in! Stein's eyes narrowed, he'd have to subtly enquire as to how they knew that. He opened the letter, breaking the Hogwarts seal to do so. Unfolding it, he skimmed over the title at the top, as well as the numerous awards and qualifications of the headmaster to get to the part that addressed him.

Dear Mr Franken Stein,

Congratulations on being accepted as the new Professor of Muggle Studies at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy. For this position you will be required to chose which subject material the students should be recommended to purchase before the year starts. Once you have chosen, please send the owl back with your replies and the chosen books shall be added to the list that the students need to buy. We shall be expecting your owl no later than July 31st.

At Hogwarts, Muggle Studies is an optional subject that can only be taken by those in third year and above. It will be your duty to tutor these students to reach an O.W.L and some to even a N.E.W.T level of qualification.

For more information please see the booklet enclosed.

Hogwarts also provides customary free tickets for the Hogwarts Express which sets off from Kings Cross Station at 11:00am on the first day of term.

We wish you all the best and look forward to seeing you at the start of the school year on the 1st September.

As a reminder due to safety concerns, please do not forget to bring your wand.

Yours sincerely

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Stein read the whole letter, then looked back into the envelope. Sure enough, tucked away at the bottom was a small brochure as well as a ticket with the words 9¾ printed on it. Well that made things easier.

"Dr Stein?" Justin asked. Stein could tell he was curious about what the letter said. He sighed, taking out a cigarette and lighting it.

"Take me to this Diagon Alley place." He sighed, expelling a large amount of smoke. "I've got a lot of work to do."

* * *

><p>As Stein sat in the back of the taxi next to Justin, he looked briefly over the brochure that arrived with his acceptance letter. It explained that although he was allowed to choose what books the students will use, he still had to teach a 'Ministry approved' curriculum. Meaning they told him what subjects to teach to the kids, he just picked which books they got.<p>

There was also a dress code for the Professors. Robes were standard, but as long as he looked smart it would probably be allowed. Looking ahead out of the car, he could see the funny looks he was getting from the driver in the mirror, they were almost there. Next to him, Justin was bobbing his head slightly to the music coming out of his earphones, still dressed in his mini-priest outfit. Together they looked like they were going to some sort of crazed Halloween party, in the middle of July.

Once they arrived, Justin paid the man and they stood less than a block away from where the Leaky Cauldron was said to be.

"I'll lead you in there, but once we're in you'll have to go in alone." Justin said to Stein as they walked. "I'm really busy, even travelling here is taking up a lot of my valuable time."

"Well I appreciate it." Stein responded, ignoring the occasional stares from passers-by. "I still don't understand why you needed to accompany me though." There was no answer. "Justin?"

Stein turned to look at him and let out an aggravated sigh. He gave the boy a light tap on the head.

"Ow!"

"Take out your earphones. This is getting old." Stein chastised as the fourteen year old grumpily did so.

Looking up at where they were, Stein noticed they were approaching the corner the Leaky Cauldron was located on. It was important that he went there to grab what he needed. He should probably hurry, he didn't have anywhere else he needed to be did he? Stein suddenly had a rather powerful urge that he'd forgotten something. A hand grasped his sleeve, pulling him to a stop.

"Justin, what are you doing?" Stein asked.

"You just walked right past it." Justin replied, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Stein blinked, "What?"

"When we approached you walked faster then just hurried right past it. Come on." Justin pulled him back towards the corner and then forcibly stopped him in front of the pub. Stein immediately made to continue but Justin stopped him.

"No Stein this is it. Look!" He pointed straight at the sign hanging proudly over the street, clearly displaying the words: the Leaky Cauldron. Stein stared at it, as if quite unable to believe it was there. He gave his screw a couple of turns, his eyes focussing.

'Now I see' he thought as his mind suddenly became very aware of the pub right in front of him.

"That must be the magic they use to disguise it from the 'muggles'." Stein said out loud. It was rather impressive magic. If you didn't know it was there you would have no chance of ever finding it. Only when he utterly focused could he bypass whatever spell that was keeping him from noticing it. Justin withheld a smirk.

"Anyway, good luck to you Stein. Try not to get lost! Remember it's right in front of you!" With a lazy wave, the Death Scythe walked off.

'Smartass is probably going to tell Tezca how stupid I looked.' Stein thought mildly annoyed. Although, stupid is better than psychotic.

Stein pushed open the door and walked into the pub. Unlike the Three-broomstick inn, although it was much larger, this pub was far darker and rather shabby looking. The lights were rather dim, many of the patrons sat at the bar or at small wooden tables in the dark, quietly nursing their drinks and staring at his screw with small beady eyes.

Stein ignored them and leisurely strolled up to the barkeep. He was somewhat less easy on the eyes than Rosmerta, but he'd have to do. The man had a hunchback and a lopsided look on his face; like he was constantly chewing a very sticky toffee.

"Afternoon" the barman greeted cordially. Stein noticed with interest how the man's eyes kept wandering to his screw and stitches, but kept returning to his face. He was nervous at Stein's strange looks. Once again Stein gave his most friendly smile.

"Good afternoon. I'm from America and was wondering whether you could direct me to the entrance to Diagon Alley?" His polite tone seemed to win the man over.

"Oh sure, it's rather easy. Just go through that door over there," he pointed to an unassuming door at the other end, "go up the brick wall and find the right brick. It's three up and two across from the trashcan. Tap it and it'll open up the passage."

Stein withheld his scepticism.

"Thank you very much." He said and made his way towards the backdoor.

Opening it up he found himself in a dirty back alley.

Had the man just not-so-subtly told him to piss off? And now he and all the patrons were probably guffawing clouds of inexpensive beer at the gullible foreigner the man had just kicked out? Stein grunted, silently battling his urge to dissect every living thing in sight. He closely examined the brick wall. It certainly didn't look like any magical gateway.

'But then I guess that's the whole point.' Stein sighed and began to count the bricks. Finding the right one, he tapped it lightly.

There was a shift as the bricks suddenly parted like they were on hinges. All peeling away to reveal an elegant archway which led into a bustling town. Walking through, Stein took in the sights.

There were shops that sold absolutely everything even vaguely magical.

Wands, crystal balls, broomsticks and cauldrons. Barrels of frog spawn and eels' eyes littered the front of one store named; Potion Ingredients. Silver instruments, the purpose of which Stein couldn't even begin to guess, gleamed from shop windows like small crystals. Little knick-knacks like models of planets, tiny potion bottles, quills and candles seemed to be everywhere in every shop. Howls and yells of many animals, some of which he didn't recognise, all sitting in cages along the porch of one shop.

Stein felt like he'd walked into another world. A world a good century or two behind the current one. The scientist within him jumped for joy at the strange sights and sounds and smells. All the things he could investigate. All the things he could discover! All the things he could tear apart and study! The people he could dissect!

'No, no, no' Stein caught himself, turning his screw again, the clicking noise catching some funny looks. 'Nearly got carried away there.' His excitement had momentarily got the best of him. Slowly breathing out, Stein let his more rational thoughts take charge. The first thing he needed to do was withdraw some money so that he could actually buy anything here. He doubted they'd accept 'muggle' money.

Walking through Diagon Alley, Stein eventually came to the bright white marble building that was Gringotts bank. He ascended the stone stairs and came to a set of furnished bronze doors guarded by a small creature in red. It barely glanced at Stein as he walked through and into a small entrance hall. Ahead was another set of doors, these ones were smaller and made of silver. Enscribed on the doors was some sort of poem.

Stein lent in to take a close look. From what he could tell, the whole thing basically amounted to; don't steal from us or we'll kill you horribly.

Stein smirked, 'I think I'll get along with these people.' Maybe he could hire them to do an inscription for Death City. Stein then meandered past the second set of doors and into the bank proper.

The sudden change in brightness and colour was rather startling. Whilst outside it was nice and sunny, the light bouncing off the white building almost making it shine. Inside it was a gloomy, dark and forboding place. More little creatures with hooked noses and long fingers scurried about holding big stacks of paper and muttering to one another in deep growling voices. The intimidating architecture, huge dark pillars, ornate chandeliers high above their heads and the gothic windows made the bank feel like an uncaring, forboding place. A place that was noticeably empty of any wizards or witches, which was interesting.

Stein walked over to what he assumed was the main desk. It was rather large and also, rather interestingly, made the goblin seated at it the exact same height as Stein.

'Some animosity between wizards and these things then?' Stein wondered to himself. He'd read up about the Goblins; they were very interesting to look at. He clenched his hands to stop them shaking. The urge to dissect these creatures was almost overpowering, but with some effort he suppressed it.

"Excuse me sir." Stein started off politely. The goblin looked up at him.

"Yes? Can I help you?" It said in a low gravelly sort of tone.

"My name is Dr Franken Stein. I would like to withdraw some money from my account." Stein kept his expression friendly, not that this seemed to affect the goblin at all.

"Hmm." The goblin grunted, "does 'sir' have his key?" Saying sir in the kind of tone one might use to describe a cockroach. Stein fished into his pocket, bringing out the small key and placing it into the goblins outstretched palm.

"Hmm." The goblin grunted again. "Yes. You opened an account not too long ago. Very odd business that." He motioned over another goblin. Stein forced himself not to tense.

If they suspected something was up he might have to fight his way out of here. Not that that would be a problem. These creature's souls were no more powerful than that of an ordinary wizard's. It would be child's play to kill them all.

"Griphook. Take Dr Stein here down to his vault. Number 547." The goblin, now identified as Griphook, nodded to the other goblin then looked towards Stein.

"If you'll follow me." He began to walk off.

"Thank you." Stein said to the goblin at the desk; before moving to follow Griphook. The Desk Goblin just snorted and muttered something rude under his breath.

Griphook led Stein to what looked somewhat like a minecart. Motioning for him to get in, which Stein did, Griphook then also hopped in and pulled a small unnoticed lever. Suddenly the minecart shot forward along the track at a surprising pace and went down. Like a rollercoaster they seemed to go down further and further into the ground.

Twisting and turning, shooting past countless doors on either side. Stein sat there with his arms crossed, studying as much as he could. For an ordinary human, the scenery would be nothing but a blur flying past them; but for Stein his incredible reactions allowed him to see everything. Goblins and wizards and witches walking about, goblins opening up the vaults for their customers to grab their gold. More corridors, other railways.

'Just how big is this place?' Stein thought to himsef scratching his head. 'How far below London were they? And what exactly is powering this cart? Magic?' It had intended to sound sarcastic in his head; but on second thought magic probably was the answer. Stein sighed.

He was getting another headache.

"547 is rather deep!" Griphook yelled over the roar of the wind rushing past them. "I'm surprised a half-blood such as yourself managed to aquire such a prestigious spot!" Stein looked up in shock at the sudden statement. So Death registered him as half-blood then. That was good to hear.

"Why is that surprising?" Stein yelled back, trying his best to sound scared at the speed the cart was going. Griphook gave him a nasty grin,

"Only pure-blood wizarding families tend to have vaults higher than 400." He said with a knowing glint in his eye.

Ok, so the goblins probably thought he was some noble wizards secret bastard son then. Stein sighed again. He really needed a smoke. There was a mechanical grinding sound as the cart began to slow down. A horrible screeching noise filled the air as it eventually stopped right in front a vault. Griphook hopped out and motioned for Stein to do the same. As soon as he had, the car somehow, impossibly folded into the side and another cart came screaming down where their cart had just been previously.

"You must get a lot of accidents down here" Stein remarked his voice back to his normal monotone. Griphook eyed him with a contemptuous air,

"I think you'll find goblin magic is more reliable than that." He sounded offended, although he hid it well.

Stein observed him coolly then gave his screw a couple of turns. Griphook noticeably winced at the unnatural cranking sound. The goblin's soul was a small little orange thing. He was wicked and surprisingly bloodthirsty. His soul was burdened by a terrible hatred and it affected him in his day-to-day life. What this hatred was of; Stein didn't know. Perhaps it's Wizardkind? A couple of the books he'd read had mentioned strained relations between the two races.

As Griphook walked towards the vault door, the number 547 emblazoned on it in golden letters, Stein stared at his back in curiosity. He wasn't sure of exactly how much more he needed to learn. The hatred some of the goblins held for these people was unnatural. Maybe he should report it to Lord Death?

There was another pair here, he suddenly noticed. A witch with long black hair as well as another goblin. They were opening the vault next to his. Inside, a large amount of gold coins could be seen. The witch caught him looking into her vault. She had a rather condescending air about her and upon noticing him gave him a gloating smirk before going inside to retrieve her gold.

'Odd...' Stein thought to himself. 'Some sort of pride or class system?' Maybe he was reading too into it.

Griphook ran his finger down the vault door. There was a twisting and turning of unseen grates and gears. The vault door for number 547 swang open revealing the small amount of money Death said he'd given to Stein for his account.

'A-a small amount?!' Stein thought, barely able to keep his face neutral.

A huge mountain of gold coins stood in front of him. Piled up on top of one another to reach the ceiling, the whole vault was almost full to the brim with heaps upon heaps of these glittering sparkling pieces of metal. The glare was almost blinding, the small amount of light reflecting almost painfully into the two being's eyes. It was easy to forget just how rich Death really was. There was also a large ornate mirror in the corner, Stein suddenly noticed. Probably in case of emergencies, if he needed to get gold quickly.

"Hmm, didn't look like a wealthy one" Griphook muttered, although Stein heard it anyway.

He took a small bag out of his lab coat. Grabbing quite a few handfuls of the gold Stein shoved them into his bag until it was full to burst. He walked out of the vault and nodded to Griphook; who quickly shut the doors behind them. The two of them climbed back into the cart and they shot upwards back to the surface. As he was leaving, he caught sight of the witch from earlier staring at him in shock. He gave her a smirk as they vanished upwards back into the bank.

Stein walked out of Gringotts, pockets far heavier than when he'd entered. Hopefully he'd grabbed enough to get what he needed, he wouldn't be able to resist dissecting those goblins again. They were utterly fascinating and had their own brand of magic!

First of all, he should probably get some robes. Even here he was getting some odd looks in his stitched-up lab coat. Or maybe it was the screw in his head? He walked towards a small purple shop he'd seen earlier. It was titled; Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions. This looked like a good place to start.

Stein opened the front door, a little bell above his head dinged as he did so. Out from nowhere a squat witch wearing a mauve dress appeared.

"Welcome to my shop. I am Madam Malkin, I take it you need some new robes?" She questioned in a friendly tone.

'Are all witches madams?' Stein privately wondered.

Outside he made sure to smile kindly at her, "Yes. I'm new here in Britain and need some robes to wear at Hogwarts."

The woman's eyes widened, "Oh you must be a new teacher! It's wonderful to see a new face around here. Do you have your robe measurements?"

"Err, no." Stein said awkwardly. He hadn't really grown since his early twenties, which was a while ago.

"Not a problem dear. Take off your coat and I'll take your measurements." She went back towards the desk, presumably to grab a tape measure. Stein took off his labcoat and laid it down on a nearby chair; leaving him in his stitched grey under-shirt.

"Don't worry dear, this won't take long." The little lady stated kindly before turning round.

She took quite an appraising look at him before waving her wand.

"Lift your arms," she ordered kindly. Stein quickly did so, keeping them level with his shoulders.

The tape measure then floated over and measured him on its own. It measured around his waist, around his arms, his neck and his legs. While this was happening Madam Malkin herself went over to one of the clothes lines and began rifling through an assortment of colourful and elaborate robes, muttering to herself while she did so.

"Yes, I think a nice light one will really suit him. Oh, he's that big is he? Hmmm..." The tape had been measuring his bicep when she said that. Did she somehow know what measurements it was taking?

Rather disturbed, Stein kept a watchful eye on the tape measure. If it tried anything funny he'd fry it, cover or not.

The bell rang again behind him, signalling that somebody else had entered the shop. Stein gave the door a cursory glance. It was that witch he saw in Gringotts. She was giving him a good looking over, admiring his physique, before walking up to him.

Now that he was closer he could see more of her features. She had long black hair, beautiful tanned skin and a hint of Italian in her. Her previous air of superiority was noticeably absent. Madam Malkin quickly took notice of her new customer.

"Ah, Mrs Zabini! A pleasure to see you." She didn't sound like she was pleased to see the woman at all. In fact if Stein had to hazard a guess, the tone was that forced politeness women used with each other right before things got _really_ nasty.

The black-haired woman just smiled, "Actually it's just Ms Zabini now. My husband, unfortunately passed away only a few months ago." She didn't seem particularly about sad this. She said it like it was a mere fact.

"Oh, I am sorry" Malkin said in a tone that was approaching, but not quite apologetic. Stein took note of her sudden diminutive stance. Was Ms Zabini important in some way? Her vault had been next to his; so she was probably a member of one of those pure-blood families he'd heard mentioned.

"You see my son will be starting at Hogwarts this September and I need to order him some robes. Custom made of course. I can't have him walking around wearing any old trash."

Madam Malkin smiled kindly, with great effort Stein noticed, and spoke again,

"Why isn't that a coincidence? This young man right here is a new teacher! I'll go fetch your custom robes Ms."

With that the little witch trotted off and left Stein alone with the woman, in his undershirt. A fact the woman had clearly taken notice of. Stein's eye twitched. He really needed a smoke. Unfortunately his packet was in his lab coat, which was now draped over a nearby chair.

"I've never seen you around here before. What's your name?" Ms Zabini asked, her voice like glazed honey.

"I'm Professor Stein. I'm from America so it's no wonder you haven't seen me around." Stein answered in his usual disinterested tone. The tape stopped measuring him and floated back to the front desk. Stein put down his arms and turned to look at the witch.

"My name is Faye Zabini. It's a pleasure to meet you." She stuck out a neatly manicured hand. Out of politeness, Stein grasped it and shook firmly. He then, with his other hand, began twisting his screw. The witch was barely able to keep her expression neutral at the clicking noise as he turned it. Her face twitched a little in shock or horror, watching him turn it.

Interesting. Her soul was a deep blue colour and about average in size. She had a lot of bitterness inside her. In fact that seemed to be her main characteristic. She was clearly manipulative and cunning. But despite all this, at her core, was a small amount of devotion. Who or what that was too, Stein had no clue.

"Pleasure's mine," he said with a friendly tone, forcing his face into a kind smile as they let their hands fall. The urge to dissect this woman was strong, she wouldn't be able to stop him. No, her magic would barely be a hindrance. He could disarm her of her wand and knock her out before she could even think of reacting. No-one would see and judging by the other witches reaction no-one would care.

He forcibly calmed his trembling hands. His madness had really been flaring up lately.

'It must be the new environment' Stein reasoned. He should finish his shopping as quickly as possible and leave. Maybe buy an animal or two to dissect back at home. He gave his screw another couple of turns.

Faye noticed his slight shaking and figured it was due to her presence. It was sad that she was correct; just not in the way she thought. She clearly took some pride in her unearthly beauty. She stepped closer, getting into his personal space and placing her hand seductively on his shoulder. Spirit would have melted.

"It must be awful being new here and all alone." She purred, her beautiful red lips pouting slightly. "I could show you around if you'd like. There are all sorts of wonderful things you can see." Stein had no doubt about what she meant by that. It still made his madness difficult to control though. This woman, this _harpy, _had no idea how close she was to a horrible death. He could see the glint in her eyes, in her very soul. She thought he was a rich easily manipulated idiot.

She had_ no idea _who she was messing with.

Stein forcibly calmed himself again and spoke,

"No thanks." He kept his voice back to it's usual monotone; whilst surveying coldly her with an air of utter disinterest. "I think I'll be fine." He turned away from her, shaking off her hand. Stein went to look around the store some more before Madam Malkin returned.

The woman was clearly shocked at his sudden change in temperment. She thought she'd had him, but was nonetheless rejected at the last second. She gritted her teeth and glared at the back of his head as he wandered off. Thinking angrily about who knew what. It wasn't long before Madam Malkin returned and gave the woman some very nice lookng robes. Ms Zabini payed for them quickly and left without a word. Both Stein and Malkin gave a sigh of relief.

"Who was she exactly?" Stein questioned in his usual monotone as a little bit more of the friendly atmosphere of the store returned. He really couldn't be bothered with the nervous new teacher act right now.

"She's Faye Zabini." Madam Malkin explained, "A member of a pure-blood wizarding family that has recently gone into decline. She has managed to restore most of their family fortune that was lost generations ago." She sounded disgusted as she said this. Stein raised an eyebrow,

"You don't sound happy about it." He noted.

"She restored her family fortune by marrying wealthy young wizards who then die mysteriously. That last poor soul was the seventh one." Stein's eyes widened in shock.

"Doesn't the ministry do anything about it?" They were the Wizarding government weren't they? Shouldn't they be investigating?

"About what? There's never enough evidence to suggest she's been killing them off. She just claims she's unlucky." Madam Malkin gave a tired sigh, "She used to be such a sweet girl..." she muttered to herself.

She suddenly looked at him in alarm, "You didn't accept an offer for coffee or anything did you?"

Stein shook his head, "She asked to show me around, but I declined."

Madam Malkin gave a sigh of relief, "Good. I've seen too many nice men go with her and never come back. I don't how she does it and no-one can prove it, but she must use some love potion or some sort of bewitching charm on them."

Stein quickly gave his screw another couple of turns and tried to ignore the cold sweat running down his neck. Love potions? Bewitching charms? Those existed!? Stein made a mental note not to aggravate any witches while he was at Hogwarts.

His whole life Stein knew he couldn't feel love. It was an emotion that perplexed and eluded him. Whenever Spirit would go utterly ga-ga over some woman whilst they were on a mission; Stein would always privately equate love with something akin to brain damage. Was there a potion that would let him experience it? Even if only for a little while? It required further investigation. He'd probably just buy a potion book or something. Stein wasn't someone prone to making rash decisions.

Oh. Wait a minute...

'Note; never ever let Spirit know love potions exist.' Stein reminded himself. He could only imagine the damage that information would cause.

The rest of the fitting went rather well. Madam Malkin brought out a few robes for him to try on and commented on what she thought. Eventually he settled for some black robes with a nice white trim around the collar and sleeves. It also opened up at the front, rather like his labcoat, which is probably what drew his attention to it. He ordered a few of those and Madam Malkin gave him a bag for them to go in. He gave his thanks and cordially left the store, making sure to put his labcoat back on before he left.

The next store to go too would be the bookshop; Flourish and Blotts. He would need to choose which books to get his students to buy. Walking into the rather small looking store, he stopped in amazement. It must have been a magic thing.

The ends of the store went far further than should have been physically possible and were absolutely loaded with books! Like a library, bookcases went in every direction. Even above him. He could see even more bookcases on the next floor, it was incredible! So much knowledge about the Wizarding world right at his fingertips. Some of this knowledge could even help the DWMA fight against the Witches! The potential was limitless. But first he would have to take this newfound knowledge one step at a time. The pursuit of knowledge should always be tempered with caution.

Walking to the counter he questioned the wizard manning it where the books about Muggle Studies were locateed. The clerk lazily pointed across to another part of the store. When Stein arrived, he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. Under the title of Muggles was about half a bookcase of information.

Stein rifled through, trying to find ones that matched with the syllabus he'd been given. As he went on and on his hopes drained. Books with titles such as; 'Moronic Muggles', 'Cooking the Muggle Way' and 'When Muggles Attack', didn't exactly reflect well on the Wizarding world's attitude. Stein was beginning to see what Dumbledore meant by not appreciating them enough.

Hell Death City wouldn't be able to run if it wasn't for the efforts of 'muggles'! Although there were few in Death City who would classify as normal people. It was that kind of place.

Stein continued his search.

There were a few diamonds in the rough, so to speak. 'Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles', was one such gem. As well as; 'The Philosophy of the Mundane: Why the Muggles Prefer not to Know'. Stein picked another one entitled; 'My Life as a Muggle', which seemed pretty promising as well.

All three were rather thick tomes and flicking through them seemed to indicate they covered what he was teaching. Although he did chuckle at the Wizard explanation of electricity.

Stein then picked another two of the less overtly racist books to complete his collection and walked back to the counter to purchase them. Along the way Stein stopped off and picked up another couple of books out of personal interest. A copy of 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them', as well as 'Advanced Potion-Making'. Stein bought all the books and was given another large bag to put them in. He thanked the man and left.

There was only one thing left. It was a rather crucial thing considering he was supposed to be undercover as a wizard. Stein had been dreading purchasing it, since he had a bad feeling something weird would happen. But alas he could put it off no longer. The letter had even required he bring one. Stein sighed, he'd been doing that a lot lately.

He would have to purchase a wand.

Stein wandered down Diagon Alley, looking for a place to purchase a wand. It was strange how barren the place seemed to be of them. Everywhere he looked, people were selling broomsticks, potion ingredients, curse-breakers and magical sweets. Yet there was no large sign anywhere saying, wandseller. It wasn't until he talked to a local that he was directed towards Ollivander's.

A thin white building with peeling letters hanging over the door which read; Ollivander's, Maker of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.

Entering the dusty store, Stein was rather surprised by the narrowness of the building. It wasn't magically enhanced like many of the other stores along the Alley. It was rather enclosed, almost cosy if you could see past the heavy gloom in the air. Which was especially odd considering that the Wand is the most important part of the witch or wizard's arsenal.

A sudden movement at the back of the store alerted Stein to another's presence. His keen eyes peered through the gloom to see a rather small looking white-haired man with big wide, piercing eyes, staring at him. Stein gave his screw a couple of turns to look at the man's soul. A dark blue was unsurprising and it's size was above average. He was meticulous and enjoyed a good challenge.

But peering closer, Stein could see something else.

Something that twisted and turned upside down and screamed and whispered to him at the same time. Stein grinned. The man's soul contained madness! It wasn't like Stein's madness, it was a different sort. Instead of a madness compelling him to dissect; this man's madness came only from Order. Rather like Death's. It was intriguing. Seems even wizards aren't immune to madness.

"Can I help you?" The man asked. His voice was like rolling gravel; deep and scratchy. Stein didn't bother with any facade. He knew this man would see through it. Much like Dumbledore.

"I need to buy a wand." Stein said in his usual monotone. "My old one was destroyed." The man tilted his head,

"Destroyed?" He almost whispered, like he was caressing the word.

"It was a duel." Stein explained.

"Do you have the pieces?"

"There were no pieces left. The duel got a bit heated." Stein kept his explanation short and to the point, hoping he'd buy the excuse. The man seemed to think to himself about this.

"Do you remember your previous wand's measurements?" He enquired.

'Shit' Stein thought to himself.

"No." He kept his expression neutral and kept eye-contact with the man. Yellow met pale blue and neither gave in. Eventually the old man gave a knowing smile.

"Very well then. Since I don't remember you, you must be new here."

"Yes. I came from America. I'm teaching at Hogwarts."

"Ah, Hogwarts" he seemed to reminicise. "My store has been providing students there with wands since the school was first built. My name, as you have probably guessed, is Mr Ollivander."

"Professor Stein," Stein replied curtly. Ollivander nodded slightly.

"Very well. Please raise your wand arm." He ordered, whipping a tape measure from nowhere. Stein twitched, 'this again...'

Stein was ambidextrous so he just settled for raising his right arm. The tape measure, once again, began measuring him as Ollivande went behind the counter and started rifling through boxes. It measured the length of his arm, the circumference of his arm, the width of his neck, the thickness of his shoulder.

"You sure you don't remember anything?" Ollivander asked from the back.

"Positive." Stein called after him. He gently swatted away the tape measure as it was trying to measure the width of his screw. Ollivander came back carrying a big pile of boxes. Boxes that could only contain wands.

At his inquisitive look Ollivander said, "Remember, it's the wand that chooses the wizard. It's not a simple matter of walking in and buying the wand you like best."

'What?' Stein thought alarmed.

That was worrying. Did the wands somehow know who the right choice of wizard was? Would it be obvious he had absolutely no magic within him at all? Stein had no time to decide on what to do as Ollivander held out the first wand. Stein took a firm grip of it and examined it for a moment. He didn't know what he had been expecting but a polished twig with a handle was rather different to what Stein pictured when he thought of a wand.

"Eight inches, chestnut and dragon heartstring, unyielding," Ollivander whispered almost tenderly. "Well go on, give it a wave" he implored impatiently. His voice was excited like he was a kid at a theme park. Stein gave the wand a wave, and instantly it was satched up by Ollivander.

"No, not right at all. Here," he handed him another wand, "Try this one. Ten inches, ebony with Unicorn hair. Nice and springy," Stein gave it another wave. Once again nothing happened and Ollivander snatched it up with a disappointed grunt. He looked at Stein carefully, appraisingly before carefully selecting another.

This continued for sometime as Ollivander offered him wands of varying size and construction. Each and every time Stein would wave it, nothing would happen, then Ollivander would snatch it up and give him a new one to try. Eventually the pile of tried wands was utterly composed of those wands Ollivander had brought. The old man quickly ran to the back of his shop to get more, cackling happily to himself.

"A tricky one, a tricky one! Ha-ha!"

Stein was beginning to worry. He had no magical power to speak of. It was entirely possible that no wand would resonate with him.

Wait a minute.

_ Resonate._

The wand chooses the wizard. Could it be?

Activating his Soul perception, Stein stared at the latest tried wand he had in hand. His eyes widened. It didn't have a soul. But it had a wavelength! This was incredible! Staring closer and closer Stein observed the wands wavelength. If he resonated with it, then maybe it would show Ollivander that it had found it's partner. Stein put down the wand just as Ollivander came back with another large pile.

"Alright then." He said ecstatic. The old man looked happily at Stein while he sat down on a nearby chair, and got comfortable Stein noticed.

"Lets try this one." His voice was almost giddy with excitement. Like a kid having been told he'll get two ice-creams instead of one.

"Eleven inches, cedar and phoenix feather. Some flexibility this one." He placed the wand in Stein's hand.

This time Stein felt for the wand's wavelength, trying to match his own with it. As soon as he felt like he had it, he let loose. The wavelength bounced between him and the wand perfectly.

Yes!

He kept up the resonance, their combined wavelength cycling back and forth between one another at incredible speeds. Each trip increasing the size of their combined wavelength. The wand began to glow white.

Fantasti- uh oh.

**Bang!**

The wand exploded in a shower of flaming wood, causing Ollivander to jump back in shock. Pieces flew everywhere, covering both Stein and Ollivander in small bits of wand and burning Stein's hand slightly.

Stein almost wanted to strangle himself for his own idiocy. The wand had no actual soul, only a wavelength. It couldn't handle a true Soul Resonance, particularly with an incredibly powerful soul like his. He should have just manipulated his wavelength to fit the wands.

'This doesn't look good.' He thought to himself, looking carefully at Ollivander for his reaction. Half-expecting the man to chase him out of his shop.

"Well..." Ollivander said, surveying the mess around his shop.

Stein gave him an apologetic look, "Sorry. I'll pay for it."

"No, no, there's no need." He said off-handily. Then he seemed to eye Stein in a new light. "Although, I'd hate to meet the witch or wizard who could have shattered _your_ wand." There was a horrid moment of silence as the old man looked Stein directly in the eyes, meeting his gaze unflinchingly. It looked as if the man was peering into his very soul, although Stein knew it was impossible. Then the moment passed and Ollivander broke eye-contact to sweep up pieces of broken wood.

That frightful event over; Ollivander, standing up this time, gave Stein another wand.

"Twelve inches, Hawthorn and Dragon Heartstring, rather flexible. Err, hold on a moment, let me move back a bit." The old man scooted back a bit before giving Stein the all-clear.

He focused. Carefully feeling out the wand's wavelength, Stein gradually altered his own to match it. Slowly, gently, Stein made the connection between his soul and the wand's. It's wavelength almost seemed to purr as they almost resonated with one another. Stein grinned, not going any further and gave the wand a wave. Golden sparks shot out of the end as the wand celebrated having finally found it's 'master'. Stein let out a sigh of relief.

"Hmm, how curious," Ollivander muttered to himself. He hadn't expected him to match with that particular wand. "Forgive me for enquiring; but you said you'd be teaching at Hogwarts?" Ollivander clarified.

"Yes that's right. I'll be teaching Muggle Studies."

'What exactly was 'curious'?' Stein thought worried. Had he given himself away? Stein knew he would never blend in perfectly but he hadn't expected things to be this bad.

"Interesting. Well I wish you luck." Ollivander spoke sincerely. Stein paid for his wand and quickly left the store, his pockets were still rather full of the galleons he'd withdrawn earlier.

As he left the shop Ollivander stared after him, "Hmm, very curious indeed" he mumbled to himself. Standing up the old man walked behind the counter, through his store and to his writing desk. Dipping his quill in a pot of ink, he wrote the words; Dear Professor Dumbledore...

* * *

><p>Outside, Stein had to thank his luck. It was a miracle he hadn't been ousted right there and then as a fraud. Fortunately just matching his wavelength to that of his wand's allowed him to fool the experienced old wizard into thinking it chose him.<p>

Idly, Stein wondered why the Witches he fought never used wands. Perhaps because their magic was a greater part of them. Using it was effortless. Whilst only incredibly skilled or powerful wizards and witches could use wandless magic.

Stein groaned, he still had so much to learn. The applications of this magic could be mind-boggling. It could take him a lifetime to figure out everything. Fortunately he wouldn't need to. His mission was just to ascertain whether Wizardkind were a threat to muggl- normal people.

Then Death would decide what to do. Now that he considered it, that was probably another reason Death chose him for this mission. Stein wasn't likely to get too attached if they turned out to be dangerous.

It had been a long day. He was on his way out of the store when suddenly he noticed the 'Magical Menagerie'. Stein stopped and stared, his mind reeling.

* * *

><p>Esmeralda had just finished cleaning the Kneazle cages for the day. They might have been incredibly smart, but they still couldn't clean up after themselves. Her store was having a rather quiet day, not many customers had wanted to buy a pet recently. Although there was still the usual pre-Hogwarts rush to look forward too. When suddenly the animals began slamming themselves against their cages. Looking around confused, she noticed all of them were doing it. Cats, puffskeins, snails, crabs, kneazles and even the nifflers were squealing madly in their little habitats.<p>

'What's going on?' She thought to herself. This sort of thing had never happened before. She rushed over to the Kneazles, making little cooing noises she tried to reassure them. They meowed and hissed at her. What was wrong with them?! She'd always done her best by these animals and now they were-

Ding-ling! Thud!

The shop door had opened.

'No,' the witch realised with horror, her back to the door. They weren't hissing at _her_. Slowly turning around she looked at the man who had entered her store. The sun was shining at just the wrong angle, right into her store, preventing her from making him out.

A tall featureless shadow stood in front of the door blocking the exit. A large bolt was stuck through the side of it's head. The only other feature Esmeralda could see were the menacing glint off of a pair of round glasses. An aura of pure terror came from him, causing her legs to buckle and for her to fall to her knees.

She was trembling as the figure slowly, ever so slowly, walked closer towards her. The animals grew even more restless in their cages. They knew this thing was trouble! Her heart was beating, faster and faster as the figure got ever so steadily closer and closer to her.

She was paralysed, she couldn't move. She tried to reach for her wand but her arms wouldn't budge an inch. This thing before her was powerful, she could feel it in her very bones. They vibrated with an intensity and power she'd never experienced before.

She had never been so terrified in her life as the figure bent over her. Oh Merlin, it was grinning!

"I'd like to buy some animals please." It said in a tone that clearly wasn't a request.

She whimpered.

* * *

><p>Stein hummed to himself happily, ready to meet up again with Justin. He'd bought a couple of very interesting creatures from that kind young lady in the store. A large toad with an interesting pattern on it's back as well as something called a Puffskein. He held them in the cage that he'd bought for them both.<p>

It had been an incredibly long day. He wanted to get back home, relax and get everything in order for his trip to Hogwarts later on.

Stein grinned from ear to ear, making passers-by quickly hurry in the other direction. And the best way to relax was by dissecting a couple of interesting new creatures. Stein left Diagon Alley with a spring in his step and a joy in his heart.

Maybe he could get away with a couple of dissection lessons at Hogwarts?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh Stein you...**

**Anyway what did you think? Was everyone in character? Barring those who weren't given characters in the book. Excited for the next chapter?**

**Please let me know in the reviews. A massive thanks to everyone for their support! I'm glad people seem to like this story.**

**I'll try to be updating this once a week, see you then!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here we go! Latest chapter. Let me know what you think guys!**

**Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter or Soul Eater**

* * *

><p>Hogwarts<p>

It was finally done. After a couple of months of intense preparation, he was both physically and mentally ready to truly begin his mission. Stein had packed his bags, full of books and robes and other useful items. He had his new wand, which he stuffed in one of his lab coat's oversized pockets.

Earlier that month he had sent off the owl with a list of books he had recommended his future students to purchase. It was probably for the best that he did it quickly; before he tried to dissect that owl to figure out how it had such a good sense of direction.

A bag in each hand, Stein stood in front of the mirror in Justin's Death room, the young Death Scythe standing right beside him. Lord Death himself stood in the mirror with Spirit standing off to the side just barely visible in the mirror.

"You're right Stein." Death stated, "This is a worrying attitude that these people seem to have for the average human." Spirit nodded beside him. "Although, this is not enough evidence for me to make any sort of decision on what to do with them."

"I'm well aware of that sir," Stein responded stoically. "There seems to be a splitting in attitude between those who fear and detest 'muggles' and those who respect or at least tolerate them. This is just from preliminary observations. From what little I've been able to tell so far; it's mainly the pure-blood families that enforce these anti-muggle attitudes. The majority of wizards and witches are actually related to muggles in some way or another." Death seemed to consider this.

"Well that doesn't seem too bad. As long as it's not their whole society." He said in his usual childish tone.

"I do have another theory sir."

Death cocked his head to the side, "Oh?"

"According to what I read the splitting off of the wizards from the rest of humanity truly began roughly a thousand years ago. Circumstances only seemed to get worse from there on as things escalated." Stein regarded Death seriously. "I think you understand what I'm implying."

Death seemed suddenly sombre, "Yes I do Stein. It's entirely possible that Asura's madness may have had a hand in causing the wizards to separate themselves from the rest. It's always easy to persecute those who are different after all."

But then Death's joyful attitude returned, "But anyway, I should let you go and catch your train. Good luck Stein and be careful, magic is not a toy!"

"I can't perform magic sir," Stein reminded him, "but thanks anyway."

Spirit then spoke up, "Well I guess I'll be seeing you Stein," he said seriously. "It was nice seeing you again after so long." Stein raised an eyebrow. "I know, I can barely believe I said it either." Spirit grinned, "You'd better come visit again sometime!" He gave Stein a grin and a thumbs-up before the mirror turned dark.

Stein would never understand that man.

The scientist turned to Justin, "Thanks for letting me stay here for so long." He said politely. The boy smiled up at him,

"Oh it was no trouble. I learnt an awful lot from sparring with you." He extended his hand. Stein put down one of his bags and shook it firmly. "Good luck sir."

"Thanks. And remember to keep only one earphone in," Stein suddenly remembered. "I don't want to get a call from a frustrated Tezca about how you're not answering the front door again." Justin rubbed the back of his head nervously,

"I will. Tezca said he'd be introducing me to his meister in a couple of weeks. He's always talking about him, Enrique must be a great man."

Stein's lip twitched at that. It's a shame he'd be gone. He would have loved to see that meeting.

"See ya," Stein waved. Then picking up his other bag he walked through the mirror and into Kings Cross Station.

Stepping carefully over the sink this time, Stein stood in the middle of a very clean looking bathroom. Everything was shiny, the mirrors didn't have gunge around the edges and there was no strange liquid on the floor. It was utterly unlike any public toilets he'd ever been too.

'I guess they just have higher standards in Britain.' Stein thought to himself.

The door then opened letting in two chatting people. They saw Stein and both parties froze for a moment.

'Oh' Stein thought glumly. 'That explains it.' He casually waved to the two dumbstruck teenage girls,

"Hey."

At least they didn't call security on him; that would have been really annoying to deal with. But who knew ordinary humans had such good aim? Stein mused to himself rubbing his head.

Death either didn't have as great of control over the mirror teleportation thing as he claimed to have; or he didn't really understand the difference between men and women and why it mattered. Stein figured that was a conversation he _really_ didn't want to have with his boss.

Stein walked through the station, looking closely at the number on his ticket.

9¾. So he would assume that that's somewhere between platforms nine and ten. Yes that seemed logical.

After asking a rather perplexed security guard, who kept asking about his screw, Stein learnt that platforms nine and ten were in a separate building. Hurrying onward he noticed then that the train would leave in roughly half an hour. He had been cutting it rather close.

Eventually Stein arrived at the two station. On one side of the brick wall the number nine was displayed proudly on a hanging sign. On the other side, the number ten was also displayed, as if it was mocking him.

It was never easy with these people was it? Clearly there was some sort of magical defence that stopped the 'muggles' from noticing another station. Similar to the one that protected the Leaky Cauldron.

Unfortunately, the label 'muggle' also included Stein, so he was going to have to improvise. Activating Soul Perception Stein was able to see through the magical protection somewhat.

He could sense hundreds of wizard and witch souls, but they were somehow in the brick wall right in front of him. It was like looking down a tunnel which you knew came out into a wide field; yet the wide field was invisible.

Stein scratched his head. This analogy wasn't working.

'Oh well. Time to go with instincts.'

Stein walked confidently forwards, right towards the brick wall. The feeling he was getting from the souls was getting stronger the close he went. Striding forward Stein walked on and on... and put his foot right through the brick wall. The next instant he was in another train station. There were hundreds of wizard and witch souls all around him. On a sign hanging proudly over his head was the number 9¾. Clearly the brick wall was some sort of disguised gateway into this hidden place.

There was only one platform and next to it stood a bright red and black steam train. The words; Hogwarts Express, clearly labelled on its front.

Stein marvelled at the whole experience. The train was the most modern thing he'd seen these wizards use. How on earth they managed to hide this entire secret station in the middle of such a busy city was an utter mystery. Let alone how they managed to hide the track!

Quickly getting over his amazement Stein decided he should probably go and get himself a seat, before the train filled up with too many brats. There were five coaches, with the last one used for luggage. Stein decided to keep his bags with him. He didn't want to risk the chance of anyone snooping through his things.

The train's layout was smilar to that of traditional steam trains. Instead of the more modern seating arrangement, a number of compartments, each with their own sliding door ran the length of each carriage.

Selecting an empty one near the back of the train; Stein sat down and made himself comfortable. Hopefully he wouldn't have to share the compartment with any students. Although there didn't seem to be a teachers compartment. He idly wondered why. After a few minutes of waiting Stein took out a book and began to read about the interesting creatures that populated the Wizarding world.

Admittedly Stein knew a few of them existed already, such as Dragons and Manticores. He'd fought and killed both before.

But Hippogriffs, Thestrals and Basilisks? He hadn't even heard of them!

Stein had also been doing some research into the relationship between these wizards and the Witches he was used to fighting. He'd already figured that they were unlikely to call them Witches, since that's what female wizards were called.

The closest thing he'd found to a reference to them was that of the Druids: 'A powerful magical race that vanished some time ago. Occasional sightings have been reported although none have been truly confirmed.'

Stein sighed to himself. Yeah that sounded like the Witches he knew. Most of them were holed up in the home dimension they made for themselves. Although every now and then; a few would leave to wreak havoc on ordinary people. Those were the ones that Shibusen took care of.

A sudden jolt brought Stein back into the real world. The train was moving finally. They were on their way to Hogwarts. Looking out of the window he could see a large number of proud parents waving to their children as the train sped away. Soon they rounded a corner and the station was completely out of sight.

Stein put his book down and leant back into his seat; putting his arms behind his head. How long would it take to get to Hogwarts? They were in London and Hogwarts was in Scotland. Assuming this train travelled at the speed of a normal modern train (it was magical so who knew?), then he had hours to kill.

There was no-one in sight, Stein noticed. Surely it would be alright if he were to smoke in here?

Surreptitiously Stein reached into his pocket and withdrew a cigarette. He looked around. There was no-one in sight. He lit it with his soul wavelength, a small spark appearing from the tip of his finger. He inhaled, then exhaled, sinking into his seat. He might as well get comfortable. Suddenly, muffled voices from just outside the compartment grabbed his attention.

"-of course no-one wants to sit next to you Lee-" one voice said,

"-even though it is cool to look at-"  
>"-it's still a bloody tarantula."<p>

The door slid open revealing three boys who paused upon seeing Stein. A dark-skinned boy with dreadlocks who was holding a yellow box in his arms as well as two identical twins with red-hair and freckles stared at Stein for a short moment.

Particularly at the large screw in his head.

Hoping to get them to go away, Stein gave them a lopsided look, raised his hand and gave his screw a couple of clockwise turns.

Clank, clank!

Silence.

Then, much to the scientist's irritance, the two twins shared identical grins before grabbing the other boy by the arms and happily sitting down opposite Stein. He looked at each of them in turn. The boy with dreadlocks seemed more curious rather than scared, whilst on either side of him, each twin sported identical mischievous grins as they looked towards Stein.

"Wicked!" They both exclaimed at the same time. Stein took a long drag on his cigarette, he felt like he'd need it. They didn't seem to mind.

"I'm Fred" one twin introduced,

"and I'm George."

"This is Lee." They both pointed to the boy in the middle who also grinned. Then Lee himself spoke,

"It's not often you see adults on the train. Who are you?"

"Professor Stein," Stein said briefly in his usual monotone. "I'm a new teacher this year."

Activating his soul perception he took a glance at the trio's souls. The twins had a slightly darker shade of blue than the one in the middle. All three were lovers of mischief and rebellion, that much was clear even without soul perception. Lee clearly admired the other two and his confidence in himself was impressive. The twins were interesting as well. No two souls were exactly identical and that went for these two as well.

The one who identified himself as Fred was the more outgoing one, the life of the party, the leader of the trio. He was also the more malicious and creative one, from what Stein could see. Funny how those two traits often went hand in hand.

The other twin, George, was less cruel and more self-critical than his brother. He seemed more focused, less off balance as well. Perhaps he slightly reigned-in his brother's maliciousness?

There was another soul. A much smaller one, hidden away in the box. Probably some sort of pet. The eponymous tarantula he assumed.

After his cursory examination, Stein took note of whose soul was whose in case he ever needed to tell them apart.

"You're a new teacher?" Lee asked excited, "What subject do you teach?"

"Are you the new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher?" Fred asked excitedly, "It's been ages since we had a cool one!"

He was amused at their excitement. The more malicious side of him actually enjoyed wiping the smiles off their faces.

"No, I teach Muggle Studies." Stein answered. They actually deflated at that much to his amusement.

"You don't look like someone who teaches Muggle Studies." George said skeptically.

'More thoughtful as well.' Stein added to his mental list of the two's differences.

"You'd be surprised what you can get away with wearing in the muggle world." Stein commented cryptically. He eyed their very muggle clothes. Probably so they could get through King's Cross without incident.

"As for defence against the dark arts," Stein continued, "I heard that the previous muggle studies teacher was taking over that." All three of them groaned,

"Oh not Quirrel!" Lee complained, looking up at the ceiling in annoyance.

"He's an utter joke," Fred said,

"He couldn't fight off a Flobberworm!" George finished.

Stein raised an eyebrow. So Quirrel was regarded as a useless teacher then? But Defence Against the Dark Arts was an interesting class normally? What was a Flobberworm?

"Hey look on the bright side. We get a different Defence teacher every year." Lee stated, "they never last long. Quirrel will be gone by the end of the year."

"Yeah but this year's still gonna suck." Fred said.

"You get a different defence teacher every year?" Stein questioned in disbelief, "Why?" They looked at him oddly,

"Haven't you heard? They say the position's jinxed. No-one's ever lasted more than a year for decades!" Fred explained incredulously.

"I'm from America. I've never been to Hogwarts before." And just like that, their interest in him was back again.

"You're from America?!" George asked.

"You've never been to Hogwarts?!" Fred repeated stunned. "Everyone's been to Hogwarts! Even the teachers are former students!"

That was an interesting little tidbit of information. So Hogwarts truly was the only magical school in Great Britain then? Stein breathed out some smoke in the form of a skull, eyeing the three boys with interest.

"What's Hogwarts like then?" He asked, fishing for information.

The twins spoke first, "It's brilliant!"

"Everything you've heard is true. It's the most secure and magical place in Britain!" Lee boasted with obvious pride.

"Then I'll be looking forward to teaching then" Stein said happily. "By the way, are any of you three taking muggle studies?" He asked searchingly. Lee shook his head, but the twins nodded.

"Dad made us take it-" Fred started,

"-says it's good for a career in the Ministry." George finished, both with identical expressions of annoyance on their faces.

It took some guts to tell a teacher straight up that you disliked their subject, Stein could respect that somewhat.

"But I take it you don't want a career in the ministry?" He inferred.

"No way. We'd rather have a job that makes better use of our... unique talents, so to speak." Fred explained with a grin. Both Lee and George nodded, agreeing with him.

"Ah." Stein realised, "So your talents lie in mischief-making." His cigarette finished, Stein incinerated the remains with his soul menace. The look of shock on their faces was worth it. With his other hand, he turned his screw another couple of times.

"I should give you an early warning then." Clank! Clank! He gave them a cold stare, his yellow eyes seeming to pierce their very souls. "Mess around in my class and I'll dissect you both."

The two of them froze for a moment as they processed his statement. Before they grinned again, seeming to take his statement as a challenge.

"Oh don't worry sir-" Fred said,

"-you have nothing to fear from us." George agreed with mock humility.

Stein wasn't fooled for a second. They didn't take his threat seriously. What normal kid would?

Stein just chuckled, at least class wouldn't be boring. Hmm, seeing if these two could get the better of him. It would be an interesting experiment. He had to supress a mad grin.

"Hey sir," Lee asked, surprisingly politely. "What's with the screw?" Stein looked at him, calming himself.

"What screw?" He asked with confusion in his tone. Taken aback, Lee responded,

"The-the one in your head?"

"There's a screw in my head?" Stein asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow whilst turning the screw in his head.

Crank! Crank!

"Yes, you're turning it right now!" Lee seemed annoyed for some reason.

"Oh, that screw."

"Yes. How did you forget? And why do you keep turning it so much?"

Stein gave a shrug and a slight smirk, "I guess you could say I just have a screw loose."

Both Fred and George laughed, getting the joke. Lee decided to give up. He wasn't going to get a straight answer out of the man.

"You seem a little more..." Lee struggled for the word, "...relaxed then some of the other professors."

"He's just new," Fred said wisely "he hasn't yet lost his spirit, his passion for the job yet."

"We'll see if we can't fix that for you sir." George said with a faux politeness. Stein sighed. These two eccentrics were beginning to remind him of Spirit.

"Trust me, no Professor's been the same after a lesson with us," Fred assured him with pride.

"I'm shaking" Stein said dryly. "Anyway, term hasn't started yet, so I have no reason to be strict right now." He leant back into his seat putting his hands behind his head.

"I'm going to take a nap. Wake me when we get there."

He closed his eyes. Instantly their soul wavelength's changed somewhat; they became full of humour and mischief.

"Oh and put that tarantula on me or in my bags while I'm sleeping and I'll throw it, and the three of you, off of the train," He warned. "And I won't be waiting for it to stop either."

He almost chuckled at the sheer shock he could sense in their souls. He couldn't blame them, being able to read their souls like that gave him an incredibly unfair advantage. It wasn't like mind-reading, but with a little estimation it could be just as good.

He could feel their wand's wavelengths as they took them out of their pockets. Perhaps they'd use some jinx to change his appearance or something? Stein decided to let them know who they were dealing with.

He tapped his foot on the floor, sending his soul wavelength through the ground and into the boys. It was harmless. Nothing worse than a static shock. They jumped in shock and there was a clatter. At least one of them had dropped their wand.

Stein smirked, eyes still closed, "Don't even try it" he warned good-naturedly.

Their wavelengths settled down as they most likely decided to bide their time for now.

The three of them began chatting amongst themselves quietly. Mostly complaining about how they had to get the only compartment with a teacher in it. Stein resisted the urge to dissect them. But then an excited fervour seemed to sweep through the boys.

"Oh yeah! Lee you won't believe who we met on the train earlier!" Fred's voice whispered,

"Who?" Lee asked eagerly, picking up on the twin's enthusiasm.

"None other than Harry freakin' Potter!" George declared proudly.

"No way! You're joking!"

"No it's true. He's an ickle firstie! Just like Ron!"

"Did you see it? His scar?"

"Yeah!" Fred answered, "It looks just like they say. A lightning bolt across his forehead!"

"Wicked! Reckon he'll be in Gryffindor?"

"No doubt," George answered, "it's the best house after all. It would be criminal for him not to be in it." The rest of their conversation went ignored, as Stein focused on something else.

Harry Potter? That name was rather familiar. Casting his mind back, Stein was sure he'd read about the boy in one of his books. The kid was responsible for somehow destroying the most powerful dark wizard to have ever lived; He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

The book didn't mention any details, only praising the boy and describing him as one of the most powerful wizards to have ever lived. Stein was doubtful of the credibility of such an outlandish claim. It was highly likely that the Dark Lord, as he called himself, did something else to destroy himself rather than be beaten by a two year-old.

But still, first year. That meant the boy was a year older than Maka, his...God-daughter. It still felt weird even thinking that. What could have possibly caused Spirit to have chosen him?

Idly, Stein wondered which of the hundreds of souls he could sense in the train was Potter's. None of them seemed especially powerful. Dumbledore's soul still retained the title of most powerful wizard soul Stein had sensed yet; and by a fair margin at that. Stein sighed and settled back into his seat some more, trying very hard to resist the urge to dissect the three loud boys sitting in front of him. It would be a long journey.

When Stein awoke he stretched idly before opening his eyes. The three boys were still chatting to one another, but at a much more subdued pace now. They must have just arrived. The boys were, instead of wearing muggle clothes, now dressed in black robes with a red and gold tinge.

Outside the window the light had faded completely and the night had made it's arrival clear with the fading of a deep purple sky. The moon's leering face seemed to look down on Stein, taunting him. He adjusted his glasses. It was probably a good thing ordinary people couldn't see the moon's true face. Boy would they freak. He examined it closely. No blood leaking out of it anywhere, meaning no-one nearby had suffered a gruesome death.

"We're here Professor," Lee said looking down on him.

Stein stood up for the first time in front of the three teenagers. He towered over them, much to their surprise. It was difficult to gauge someone's height when they were sitting down. Stein twisted his head a couple of times, giving off a sickening crack as he did so. The boys actually flinched in disgust and surprise. He grinned at them, it was so fun messing with them.

"Let's go then."

He towered over the other students as well. As he disembarked and stepped onto the station he glanced around, looking for some indication of where to go. The body of students seemed to know where they were going, they all moved towards the right in a sea of black cloaks.

"Firs'-years! Firs' years over here!" A loud gruff voice reverberated throughout the whole station.

A huge man stood like a mountain amongst the much smaller students. Stein walked towards him, hoping to get some directions. "Firs'-years! Firs'-year-" he bumped into Stein, "Yeh'rr not a firs'-year, who 're you?"

The very large man was even taller than Death, standing at about twice Stein's full height at least. He had great big arms like tree-trunks and a massive black beard that went down his chest. Despite his intimidating appearance his face was full of laugh wrinkles and he had a rather friendly air about him.

"I'm a new teacher; Professor Stein." He intoduced himself politely. The man's face lit up,

"Ah, I was told about yer." He said happily, "There's some coaches over there." He raised an arm, causing some of the students to move out of the way. "Yer can take one o' them straight ter Hogwarts." Stein thanked the man then followed his directions round the back of the station.

A number of black carriages tied to strange horse-like creatures awaited him. Many of the carriages had already set off; a line of them extended over the hill towards the nearby castle. As soon as Stein got near the horse-things they turned to look straight at him. They had skeletal faces with great leathery bat-like wings lying flat on their back.

'These must be thestrals' Stein noted remembering their description from his book. 'I wonder how many people here can see them?'

A thestral nudged his hand, gaining his attention. Then, to Stein's utter astonishment, it bowed to him.

Ignoring the urge to try and rip it apart, he instead gently petted it's neck. It seemed to enjoy that. Before the temptation could become too overwhelming Stein pulled himself away and hopped into the carriage. Fortunately he was alone this time as the thestrals, who took one last longing look at him, then surged forward-pulling the carriage towards the castle.

The thestrals are generally associated with death. Only people who had seen and understood the idea of death could see them.

'But why did it bow to me? Could it somehow tell I was an agent of Death?' If so he'd have to be careful. Who knows what sort of unnecessary trouble that could bring?

The carriage soon trotted onward over the hill; allowing Stein to get his first glimpse of Hogwarts.

It was certainly impressive.

A huge castle stood on a cliff by a lake, with a dark forest off to the west. It was a classic castle, like those hear of in fairytales. Large turrets extending into the darkened abyss that was the night sky, small turrets placed oddly around the castle, lights in huge windows sparkling like stars, impossible dimensions that could only be held together by powerful magic and... was that a Viaduct?!

It was truly an incredible sight to behold.

'No wonder they're so proud of it' Stein thought to himself, 'who wouldn't be?'

The carriage seemed to somehow know he wasn't a student. Instead of taking him to where all the other students were being dropped off, it took him to an unseen side entrance. He hopped out of the carriage, ignoring the bowing thestrals -he hoped that wasn't going to become a thing- and opened the door.

Standing there expectantly with his arms crossed was another Professor. He had shoulder-length greasy black hair, a hooked nose and dark penetrating eyes similar to looking into a tunnel. The man eyed Stein's stitched lab coat with a cold calculating gaze.

"You must be the new Muggle Studies teacher," he spoke in a deep authoritative tone with a barest hint of disdain. Stein eyed him back equally coldly,

"How did you guess?" He asked in his usual dead monotone. The man's lip curled, possibly into a smirk.

"My name is Severus. Severus Snape, head of Slytherin house. If you'd follow me," he gestured, "I'll escort you to the others. Leave your bags here, they'll be taken to your room." Stein put his bags down.

"Thank you. I'm Franken Stein." Stein introduced, "But then you probably know that don't you."

Snape didn't answer, but the smugness he could sense in the man's soul was answer enough.

Hmm, weird. He couldn't get a good reading on the man as easily as he could the other wizards. The man was a very skilled wizard though, that much was clear. His soul was over three times the average size and only a few shades lighter than Dumbledore's.

Snape's black robes flowed out behind him dramatically as he escorted Stein wordlessly through the corridors. The man practically radiated authority, his students must be well-behaved.

"Forgive an ignorant foreigner for his questions," Stein said, breaking the silence. "but could you explain what Slytherin house is?" Snape eyes him with an unreadable expression for a brief moment before answering,

"There are four houses which students are sorted into. Slytherin is mine. We tend to prefer those who use their smarts in an acute sense, rather than merely scoring high on meaningless tests." He said with a hint of pride in his voice.

"And the other houses?" Stein pressed,

"They're nothing important," he said dismissively.

They came up to a large door with two gruesome-looking statues standing on either side.

'Gargoyles?' Stein wondered. They took one look at Snape and seemed to stand up a little straighter. As they brushed past Stein thought he heard one mutter, "Oh great, another freak" before the door slammed shut.

This must be the staffroom. It was a very official looking place, with desks and mountains of paper piled everywhere. There was also to the side, a lounge-like area with several sofa's and a roaring fireplace. Quite a few people were standing around there with cups of tea and coffee, the teacher's lifeblood, in their hands.

As he approached with Severus some of the other teachers looked over at them, many staring unabashedly at Stein's screw and stitches -something Stein noticed Snape hadn't done- like he was an animal in the zoo.

"Where's Minerva?" Severus asked, instantly drawing the attention to himself.

"She just left to grab the first years." A very small man answered. He was barely up to Stein's knees in height, but the scientist knew better than to trust in appearances. All the teachers in here had deep blue souls of varying levels of strength. It spoke volumes that this diminutive little man's was one of the strongest.

"You must be the new Muggle Studies Professor," the little man greeted cheerfully holding out a tiny hand. "I'm Professor Filius Flitwick, head of Ravenclaw house." Stein shook his hand, ignoring how his much larger one utterly smothered the professor's.

"Professor Franken Stein," he stated. The little man beamed at him.

"Interesting name you have there, Mary Shelley?"

Pleasantly surprised Stein actually smiled, "Yes. My parents were fans." He ignored the confusion coming off of a few of the other teachers. So he was powerful and intelligent? Stein had a feeling he'd get on well with Filius.

"Good to hear, good to hear. Anyway, we'd best all get going. Don't want to be late for the feast!" Flitwick said, raising his voice so the others would hear. He seemed to be in charge now that the deputy-head wasn't here.

There was chattering amongst the staff as they all began to move towards the door. Stein stayed with Snape and a particularly nervous-looking man with a turban as they all moved through the corridors and into a wide open hallway. Opening a small door they all emerged into a huge hall.

Four massive tables, laden with golden plates and goblets, took up most of the hall. Thousands of candles floated high up in the air illuminating the whole hall in a warm homely glow. Above even that, instead of a ceiling, was the sky. Or as Stein knew, having read Hogwarts: A History, the ceiling was enchanted to look like the sky. Right now it showed the night sky, alight with the light of thousands of stars.

The teachers made their way to another much smaller elevated table at the front of the hall. In the very middle stood a large golden chair and sitting there in the chair was the headmaster himself. He stood up to greet them,

"Ah, good to see you all again," Dumbledore said joyfully as the teachers all began to sit down. "Ah Professor Stein," he greeted warmly. "I'm glad to see that you made it. Please tell me what you think of the castle. It's so very rare to get an outsider's opinion."

"It's very impressive. One of the most interesting places I've ever been" Stein admitted honestly.

The whole castle was just teeming with magic, he could sense it in the air it was so strong. The architecture was as amazing as it was bizarre. Only Shibusen itself could compete and most of that was underground!

"That's gratifying for an old man to hear." Dumbledore said kindly. "Now, very soon the students will come filing in, then Minerva will bring the first years and the sorting will begin. Please do take a seat. There is no real seating arrangement, although tradition does dictate that the deputy-head sits next to me."

Stein nodded and thanked the man before looking for an empty seat. While the two had been talking most of the seats had been taken. Stein was left with a seat next to the one on the end with a strict-looking witch sitting next to him.

He felt like he stood out a bit. Most of the teachers wore black robes of some description. Dumbledore being the exception with his rather flamboyant ones. While Stein was still in his stitched up lab-coat and normal get-up.

No-one had said anything so perhaps he'd get to wear his normal clothes instead of the robes he bought. The thought made Stein happy; the robes were annoyingly restricting.

The door to the side opened and the large man from earlier squeezed himself through it. With a grunt he sat down on the chair at the end right next to Stein. Looking ahead Stein could see that students were entering the hall in large numbers. Students of varying ages were all moving towards certain tables like they were in a play, each knowing their table and place.

The colour of their ties seemed to determine as to which table they migrated too. Green tie's would go to the table furthest from Stein whilst the red ones would sit on the table almost directly in front of him. There was a table for yellow ties and one for blues ones as well.

'Those must be the four houses,' Stein realised. Hogwarts: A History had mentioned them but he couldn't remember the details amongst the large number of books he'd read over the past couple of months. Activating his soul perception Stein observed the souls of everyone in the hall.

As he'd expected, a number of different shades of blue across the entire hall. Although very few were larger average and barely any were interesting at all. The teachers were mainly larger than the students, except for one miserable-looking man whose soul was normal in every conceivable way.

Stein inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. If their souls were too interesting he might have been tempted to dissect them. Well more than he already was anyway.

The door behind opened, revealing the presence of a familiar man.

"Good to see yer" the giant sat down beside him and kindly clasping him firmly on the back. "err, Professor Stein wasn'-it?"

"Yes. I never caught your name however," he pointed out, looking up at the large man.

"I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds here at Hogwarts" he responded happily, "But jus' call me Hagrid. Everyone does." Stein nodded before turning his screw a couple of times to get a good look at Hagrid's soul. The man only seemed slightly put-off by this.

Now this man's soul was very interesting. It was much larger than most wizards' right off the bat. Instead of a shade of blue, it was instead a sort of light brown colour, almost matching Hagrid's coat in fact. A fact that had Stein's mind spinning with what it could possibly mean.

Otherwise the man had a very courageous and loyal soul; he would never betray a close friend without good reason. Rather forgetful and kind-hearted, utterly belying his rather intimidating stature. Nothing else particularly interesting.

Stein looked back at Hagrid, deactivating his soul perception. The man was eyeing him oddly. Maybe even in this strange place, a screw in the head and stitches across the face were unusual characteristics?

"Is there something wrong?" Stein asked. Hagrid looked a little embarrassed to be caught staring.

"Yer don' mind me asking summat?" Stein shook his head, "Err, what are 'ose...things in your face?" Since he didn't ask about the giant screw nailed through his skull, Stein assumed he was talking about his stiches.

"Those are stitches Hagrid." The giant man took in a deep breath like he'd just made a sudden connection.

"Oh, I've 'erd of them. Muggle things ain't it?"

Ok so these people didn't use stitches then, Stein privately surmised.

Maybe they were somewhat behind in terms of technology or had alternative magical means to treating wounds. Then something happened that caught Stein's attention. Through the door came a large number of glistening white beings.

'What are those?' Stein thought excited, staring at each of them with interest. They looked like normal humans except they were somewhat translucent and shone with an intense silver glow. 'Are those ghosts?!' Stein thought, trying to curb his eagerness.

Could they be dissected? He'd have to find out! Imagine what he'd find!

Activating soul perception heralded some more interesting facts. They didn't have souls! Amazing! How did they function?

They had something similar to a soul, some sort of magical core that emitted a rather localised wavelength. It would have no effect on anyone or anything unless they walked through the ghost!

Stein had to supress a mad giggle. The excitement was just too much! All the things he could learn, he could find out if he dissected them! How much did the Wizards know about souls anyway?

Sadly before Stein could find out more, the large door at the end of the hall opened. Like the quiet before a storm, all the chatter ceased immediately as an old witch led a number of children through the hall.

She brought out an old stool and set it on the raised podium just in front of the staff table. Sitting on the stool was a very old and dirty ragged hat. All eyes stared at the hat expectantly causing Stein to do so as well.

What took him rather by surprise was when a tear in the hat opened up and it began to sing in a deep melodic tone:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty-" it began blaring it's song out to the top of it's magical lungs.

Stein stared at it in bewilderment throughout the whole song, wondering how it worked.

A quick soul perception showed that it had no soul whatsoever yet it was clearly alive! The song continued on unabated, talking about the four houses and what qualities each house looks for in their students. From what Stein gathered, Gryffindor took the brave and daring. Ravenclaw took the witty and clever ones. Slytherin took the cunning and ambitious ones. While Hufflepuff took the loyal and hardworking ones.

Each house had their merits it seemed. Although Snape earlier seemed to indicate there were some rivalries. All in all, nothing to worry about.

Soon the song was over and the whole hall clapped and cheered as the hat bowed to each table in turn. The witch from before stepped forward, a large piece of parchment in her hands.

"When I call your name you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." She declared loud enough for the whole room to hear. "Abbott, Hannah!"

Hagrid leaned down to Stein, "Now this migh' be a bit confusin' at th' moment since yer foreign an' all. But a' Hogwarts we sort in'na four houses." He explained rather slowly.

"Why?" Stein questioned quietly as another child was sent off towards a cheering table. Interesting, the hat seemed to be able to read their characteristics somehow.

'I wonder if that's some form of soul perception?'

"Well it's tradition ain't it?" Hagrid replied quickly. "Yer see, back then the four founders disputed a bit over which student's ter teach. Salazar Slytherin wanted ter teach pure-bloods, whereas the other three wanted to accept all wizards and witches. There was a falling out as yer can imagine."

Stein nodded, he could understand tradition. He was about to ask Hagrid something else when the man suddenly hushed him,

"Potter, Harry!"

Suddenly all forms of chatter ceased as everyone craned forward to get a better look. Even many of the teachers were sitting up straighter in their seats! Was this Potter kid really that big of a deal?

A small nervous looking boy, with unkempt black hair and glasses walked up to the stool. The witch, who Stein realised must be Minerva, put the hat on him. There was silence as excited whisperings broke out amongst the students in the hall.

Stein observed the Potter boy. This was the wizard spoken of in a couple of his books as one of the greatest wizards of the age? His soul nor his magical ability were particularly outstanding. This was hardly surprising considering the boy was just barely eleven. He was gripping the stool so tightly his hands were white. The kid was terrified!

Stein sighed, looking into the kid's soul. It really just deepened the mystery as to how He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was truly defeated.

Wait.

What was that?

Stein looked closer, fine-tuning his soul perception. Instead of just the normal dark-blue soul there was something else as well.

It...looked like some sort of tumour. A pale green tumour with small tendrils, resembling frayed fabric, wrapping around the child's soul. For the first time since he arrived here, Stein found himself at a loss. He had no clue what thing was. He'd never seen of or heard of anything like it before. It looked like it'd been torn away from something and had latched onto the kids soul, perhaps in an attempt to replace what was lost?

Souls could come in odd shapes and colours but this was unprecedented! The closest thing he could recall to seeing something like it was when a Witch used magic to influence normal humans. Their magic could form a sort of shape around the soul, trapping it. But this was too different, even to that.

"GRYFFINDOR!" There was cheering as the hat was plucked off of the boy's head. He quickly rushed away towards the table closest to Stein, the one with the red ties. Immediately they began cheering loudly and many of them even stood up in happiness.

Stein quickly recognised the twins he met on the train. Both of whom were chanting and making downright nuisances of themselves. Potter was looking around, beaming in relief. Stein saw Hagrid give the boy a good thumbs-up which the boy nodded happily at. The two must know each other.

Soon the house calmed down and the rest of the sorting could proceed without notable incident.

Blaise Zabini was the last child to be sorted. He must be Faye's son, Stein realised. He was even wearing those custom-made robes she bought. Stein had a horrible feeling he might be meeting that woman again at some point.

"Sorry 'bout that." Hagrid apologised sincerely, "Jus' wanted ter know where the lad was going."

"It's alright." Stein said in order to put the man at ease, "I would've done the same."

The headmaster then stood up, "Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"

He sat down and the whole hall erupted into applause. Stein felt like he'd missed a big joke.

"What was that about?" Stein asked Hagrid, who was clapping his huge hands together in applause.

"Dumbledore's a great an' powerful wizard" Hagrid explained wisely. "Some thing's we jus' ain' meant ter know. Oh, could yer pass the 'tatoes please?"

Stein turned back to the table. The moment he'd turned away a huge amount of food had just appeared out of nowhere. Not just on the teacher's table, all four of the houses each had numerous and various amounts of food suddenly heaped upon them.

Stein was barely able to keep his expression neutral. He robotically passed the roast potatoes to Hagrid, who quickly piled twelve onto his plate. The witch net to him asked for the beef. He gave it to her without a word.

Looking all along the hall, people were eating and drinking without abandon. Stein gave his screw a couple of cranks before deciding to tuck in. His mission was to blend in. Refusing to eat magical food that just appeared may be pretty stupid, but if everyone else was doing it...

He decided to strike a conversation up with the witch on his left,

"So, what subject do you teach?" He asked casually, giving her a side look.

"I teach Arithmancy." She spoke warmly turning to look at him.

"What does that involve?" Stein questioned politely. At her look he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. A habit he'd picked up from Spirit, "You see I never really studied it at school."

She didn't seem particularly offended, "It's alright. Not many people do. It's one of the least popular classes, almost as unpopular as Muggle Studies."

Ok so maybe she was a little more annoyed than she seemed. "Almost all of my students tend to be Ravenclaws, which is a pity. Very few wizards and witches these days seem interested in the properties of numbers."

Stein's eyes lit up with interest. He had earned the title doctor legitimately, Lord Death had payed for his tuition. It was one of the reasons he was considered a genius. In that he was able to make two Death Scythes as well as earn a legitimate doctors degree at a credible university. It also meant he could be called in as an emergency doctor if something happened at Shibusen.

A large part of becoming a doctor had been a study of mathematics, an area Stein had excelled in.

"Properties of numbers?" He asked interested. She seemed to pale at the unnatural way the light reflected off of Stein's glasses as he look at her.

"Y-yes. Using mathematical tools such as basic trigonometry and the natural magical properties of numbers, it's possible to create interesting spells suited for a wide range of purposes."

"What about using Calculus? Integration? What uses do they serve?"

And so Stein spent the next half an hour chatting with the Arithmancy teacher, whose name he quickly learned was Septima Vector, about the wide arrays and uses of numbers and how they were related to magic.

Stein learnt a large amount of interesting information. The scientist within him cheered as the knowledge of what numbers are related to which magical properties and why certain amounts are used in certain potions for the greatest effect. Whilst on the other side, Septima learnt more about pure mathematics.

It was clear to Stein that the Muggle world was rather farther ahead in mathematical terms than that of the Wizarding world. There was no such thing as engineering for instance. Which probably explained why their technology was so far behind that of the muggles.

They used a repurposed muggle steam train powered by magic to transport the students! Imagine how fast they'd get to Hogwarts if they'd stolen a bullet train!

Hagrid seemed rather put-out by the turn the conversation had taken. He looked utterly lost as the two discussed formulas and methods of rationale that made his head ache just to hear let alone comprehend. He continued to eat in silence with no-one to talk too.

"Hey Hagrid?" Stein suddenly asked looking at the man. Septima was conversing with the other staff member seated next to her. "What exactly is it that you do?"

"Well, I look after ter school grounds. Which means dealin' with ter Forbidden Forest critters."

"Forbidden Forest?" Stein questioned, suddenly interested. "What sort of creatures?"

"Oh, well plenty." Hagrid answered, "Forbidden Forest has all sorts of nasty critters. Werewolves, blood-sucking bugbears. Student's ain' allowed in there at all."

"Interesting..." Stein said to himself. Maybe he'd just found a place to vent if the desire to dissect got a bit too much for him.

"But there's plenty o' other critters out there that a' mighty friendly." Hagrid declared with pride, he then seemed to think for a moment. "Well some o' them," he summarised. "Best no' risk it."

"So what kinds of creatures do you look after?" Stein inquired politely, trying to hide his incredible interest.

"Well," here Hagrid puffed out his mighty chest in pride, causing the whole table to move forward a little. "Professor Kettleburn says I got talent, I do. Dumbledore's even thinkin' of offerin' me the job when ol' Silvanus retires."

For another half-hour the two discussed the creatures that inhabited the Wizarding world. All sorts of interesting facts about the most dangerous of beasts. Stein learnt even more than he had from the books. Hagrid, for all his simplicity, really seemed to know what he was doing when it came to dangerous animals.

Eventually the remaining food in front of them vanished and Dumbledore stood up to give his final words. There was nothing of particular interest said until,

"...the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." Stein raised an eyebrow. What was that about? The sudden solemnity was rather off-putting. What exactly was in the third-floor corridor?

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!"

'...what?' Stein thought utterly stunned.

Even Hagrid's smile seemed a little strained at the mention of the school song.

The students all bellowed out the words dictated by Dumbledore's wand, all in different tunes creating a horrendous mess of noise that filled the Great Hall. Stein actually chuckled. This was the sort of thing Lord Death might decide to do on a whim.

Only the twins were left, slowly finishing their funeral-march version of the song while Dumbledore happily conducted with his wand.

"Ah, music; a magic beyond all we do here!" Dumbledore declared, looking rather tired all of a sudden. "And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

With that the students began to get up and leave the great hall. The teachers all stood up to leave as well; each with varying levels of exasperation on their faces.

They left the hall by the backdoor through which they entered and made their way back to the staffroom. Once inside, a number of them crashed down onto the comfortable soft chairs or sofa, others conjuring cups of tea or coffee into their hands.

Stein stood there as Dumbledore cleared his throat to address the faculty. Instantly everyone was looking towards the esteemed wizard their conversations forgotten,

"Well I thought that was a wonderful start to the term." He began, "The food was exquisite, as always. Now you may have noticed a new face amongst us this year, as well as the return of an old one."

He held out an arm to the man wearing a turban. "Professor Quirinus Quirrel, our former muggle studies teacher, has returned and claimed the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts." There was a muted applause as the man seemed to tremble just from all the attention focused on him.

Dumbledore then continued, "And our new Professor of Muggle Studies; Professor Franken Stein." Stein lifted an arm in greeting as all eyes turned to him, there was a much more polite applause.

"Now that introductions are out of the way. I feel a need to perhaps explain a few things. This year Hogwarts is playing host to a very important object that is hidden somewhere on the grounds. Due to security reasons I can neither tell you what or where this object is. All I ask is that you continue to do your duties as normal. I hope this isn't an inconvenience for anyone."

No-one spoke up, so Stein figured it wasn't an inconvenience for anyone. They all trusted the wizard.

"Wonderful. Now I'm going off to bed. I am old and it's a busy day tomorrow" he chuckled. "Good night." Dumbledore left the room, whilst a few teachers exchanged a few covert glances with one another.

Clearly something odd was going on. Hopefully it didn't involve his mission so he wouldn't have to investigate.

"Professor Stein?" Minerva came up to him and offered a hand which he shook firmly. "I am Professor Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and head of Gryffindor house. I apologise for the vague instructions that were sent to you. It's easy to forget you're not native to these isles."

Stein smiled kindly at her, quickly taking note of her powerful soul. "It's alright, I did get here without too much trouble. So where exactly do I sleep then?"

"Each teacher who isn't a head of house get's their own private quarters behind their office and classroom. I'll show you where yours is located now if you wish."

"That would be wonderful." Stein agreed as Minerva led him out of the staffroom and down some stairs.

"It's good that we finally managed to get a foreign teacher," Minerva spoke kindly as they came out into a huge open ended room. Staircases went up and down, occasionally shifting to different floors and rooms. Stein stared.

"I don't think Hogwarts had had a teacher that wasn't educated here for a good hundred years at least." She spoke, either oblivious to his amazement or choosing to ignore it.

"Your classroom and office is on the first floor. Which makes your classroom one of the closest to the Great Hall. Details of lessons will be on your desk in the office."

She led him down a set of stairs and down a few corridors right into a solid wooden door. Opening it led into a typical classroom with a desk, board and chairs.

"You can decorate the classroom however you wish; although be sure to keep it appropriate. Through that door is a private office and your personal chambers. Breakfast starts at 7:30am in the morning. I'm sure you'll figure out the rest."

"Thanks very much," Stein said gratefully walking into the rather bare room.

Minerva gave him a warm smile, "And don't worry, a week or so and you'll know this place like the back of your hand. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." With that Minerva shut the door, leaving Stein alone in the room. On the desk were a stack of papers detailing timetables and exam dates and such. His bags had been brought here as well by someone earlier as they sat at the entrance to his office and personal quarters.

Stein picked up the bags and made his way into the room. It was rather modest, with what looked like a bathroom, bedroom and an office to relax or work in. Reaching into one of his bags, Stein took out a large mirror that could only barely fit in there.

He hung it on a nearby wall without too much difficulty.

42-42-564

Ping!

The mirror glowed for a moment before the familiar visage of Death appeared.

"Hello, hello Stein! What's up?! How's it going?" He asked bouncing around in excitement.

"I've made it into the castle and I'm setting up for teaching right now. No-one seems suspicious of me being anything but a foreign wizard."

"Fantastic Stein! I knew you were the right man for the job! Anything interesting to report?"

"Yes actually, a number of things." Stein told death about the ghosts and the strange soul that the Potter kid possessed.

Death seemed to consider this, "The ghosts are nothing more than echoes. People who were too afraid to pass on and bound themselves to this planet using magic. Provided they don't want to pass on there's nothing you should do yet. Don't try and send them onward."

"No worries about that."

"What you said about that boy's soul is indeed worrying. Where there any others like that?"

"I didn't examine everyone there, but from what I can remember he was utterly unique in that regard."

"Ignore it for now," Death ordered. "If it doesn't seem to be harming the boy then it may even be benevolent. I've heard of a thing like this before but I'll have Sid do some research into it regardless.

"Very well sir. Anything else?"

"Nope! Just don't forget to give monthly reports and everything will be ship-shape!"

"Very well then. Thank you sir."

"Good luck Stein, we're all behind you!" With that the Grim Reaper vanished and the mirror became a mirror once more.

Stein sunk into the rather comfortable chair at his desk and lit a cigarette with his wavelength. There was so much here to learn! So much to explore. So many creatures to dissect!

He would have to go to the forest at some point and find a few creatures to rip apart.

Stein giggled, that would be sooo fun! He also doubted people would get as mad if he ripped apart a few animals rather than humans.

That night Stein laid in his bed, thinking quietly to himself.

'This might be a very interesting year!'

A mad grin settled on his face, he couldn't wait!

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><p><strong>AN: Well what do you think? Was everyone in character? I was worried about how I portrayed Fred and George. Exactly how many students does Hogwarts have? I keep hearing different numbers from 300 to 1000.**

**Please leave your thoughts, ideas and questions in the reviews! I love to read them and will answer any queries you may have.**

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**Hope you enjoyed!**

**Updates every week!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here's the latest chapter! Hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater or Harry Potter**

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><p><span><strong>Teaching<strong>

Nothing much interesting happened in the first month. Stein supposed that if even Shibusen, a school run by Death, could have boring days then Hogwarts would be no different. In fact the situation worked to his advantage. This gave him more time to study and complete his mission. Of course accurately figuring out the attitudes of an entire culture and evaluating it's dangers didn't come quickly.

Stein found that Muggle studies was a rather unpopular subject among both the faculty and the student body. This was understandable considering the other classes tended to let the students bend the laws of reality to their merest whims. That was far more interesting than the mundane uses muggles had for electricity. Who needed a television when you could turn people into rats?

He couldn't help but a feel the merest sliver of envy for these children. They had everything they could ever need to learn handed to them so effortlessly. In Shibusen Stein had always endeavoured the learn more, to be the best. Because if he was the best, then nobody could stop him. He could do whatever he pleased. He had always wanted to be born in a world where reality can be so easily distorted. A world where the only rules were your own moral limitations. A world where there no gods...

Perhaps it was a good thing he wasn't among them.

He was getting far too ahead of himself. Even magic had rules that needed to be followed; no matter how nonsensical they seemed. Stein was learning more and more each day. He would often spend his free time in the library, researching magical theory; the mystical reasons as to why and how magic functioned. It took far more than just waving a wand and saying some magic words to cast spells.

There were complicated, exact wand movements that had to be used in order to correctly channel power. The innate desire to accomplish the specific spell and ability to channel magic yourself.

Stein had the eerie ability to perfectly remember anything that caught his interest and magic had certainly done that. He couldn't perform any sort of actual magic himself. He had no innate magical talent, or 'magical core' as some of his books had mentioned.

That would be easy to fix. A simple transplant from one of the students, one of the teachers even, and he'd be able to cast magic just as well as any of the other...

No, no, no. Stein idly gave his screw a few good turns. This environment was bringing out the worst in him. The need to dissect was becoming much harder to resist each passing day. It subtly crept into his everyday thoughts like the wind between the branches. Without some form of release it would only be a matter of time before he cracked under the pressure.

And Stein absolutely refused to think about using his students in his twisted experiments. No-one deserved that fate.

Back when he was younger, Spirit had done all he could to curb Stein's psychopathic tendencies. Even that hadn't truly been enough; as while the scythe had been sleeping Stein had been free to... indulge himself.

However as he kept telling himself, Stein was a changed man. He had used his considerable intelligence to find ways to somewhat restrain his madness. It had taken years of research and experimentation, his combat abilities had suffered for it, but he had finally managed to find a way to think a little bit like a normal person.

Provided he was careful of course. Madness could not be truly destroyed. Only contained.

Glancing at his watch, it was mechanical so it still worked at Hogwarts, Stein spoke to the class.

"Alright you're all free to go. Remember, I want eight inches of parchment on why muggles use computers on my desk by this Friday." The class of fifth-years stood up. They were unable to hide their relief. Not only was it the end of the day, but many found Stein...rather intimidating.

He was still allowed to wear his stitched-up lab coat and odd undershirt. Occasionally he would sweep by people's desks and glance idly at their work, turning his screw in silence before offering corrections here and there. Stein demanded nothing less than total attention for when he was speaking. Many of the students were beginning to refer to him, behind his back of course, as 'McGonagall in-training'.

Minerva had always been perfectly nice to Stein so he took it as a compliment. Even if he was aware how teachers tended to act differently around their students than with each other.

As the last of the class disappeared out of the door, Stein began to think about what to do now.

Mapping out the castle in his mind had his job a lot easier, although the sheer number of secret passages was rather disturbing. Since the original castle was built roughly a thousand years ago he could only imagine what the original purposes of some of them were. Some led into empty rooms, that vanished whenever he tried to find them again.

Others took him straight into different parts of the castle and one had even led him outside the castle! The architecture of this place was mind-boggling, no wonder all the teachers were former students. You needed to be to know where everything was!

Stein had to admit he wouldn't have found half of them if it wasn't for the Weasley twins. Their in-class relationship had begun, as Stein had thought it would, by getting on one another's nerves.

* * *

><p>At the start of term Stein had been introducing one of his third-year class's, a mixture of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, to the subject of Muggle Studies.<p>

"Yes, Mr Davies?" Stein pointed to a rather sharp-looking Ravenclaw who had his hand up.

"No offence sir, but what exactly is the point in learning muggle studies? I mean who needs to know how...electricity works when you can do magic?" The boy certainly had a point, why learn about something you're likely to never use?

Stein sat the wrong way round in his chair, his arms resting on its back. He regarded the class with his usual faked disinterest.

"It's rather simple actually. You should all know about the Statute of Secrecy, am I right?" A wave of nods confirmed his statement. "It is our job as wizards and witches to maintain the secrecy of our world from the muggles. All it takes is enough muggles to know about magic and then the entire masquerade falls apart, exposing us all."

He looked at each one of them in turn, "If you are ignorant or incapable of understanding the means by which muggles understand this world, then what hope do we have of maintaining the masquerade?" Stein reached into his pocket and held up the device for all to see.

"Who can tell me what this is?" A couple of hands rose, whilst the rest of the class stared blankly at the little black box he held up in his hand.

"Mr Davies?" Roger Davies put his hand down,

"My mother works in the Ministry; she's told me about those. Isn't that a phone?" Stein gave him a small smile,

"Indeed it is. A mobile phone. With this, any muggle can contact any other muggle in the entire world who owns of these phones. Similar to a Protean charm in a way, although a little more reliable."

He saw the looks of comprehension on their faces. "Now say the owner of this phone saw a magical incident and called their friend or relative who happens to work for a muggle newspaper..."

"But who would believe him?" George asked intrigued.

"I'm getting to that. The one who works for the newspaper of course doesn't believe him at all. So how does he prove it?" Stein tilted the rectangular box onto it's side.

"Click" he said simply, clearly pressing his finger down on one of the buttons. Understanding dawned on some of their faces.

"This device also functions as a camera." Stein explained patiently,

"But it's so small!" One of the students protested in disbelief. Stein nodded then continued,

"Exactly. Now this muggle has a picture, perhaps in the future maybe a film, of the incident in question."

He saw the horror on some of their faces, "Then the Ministry swoops in and obliviates all the muggles who saw the incident. One of the obliviators notices the small black box, but because he knows nothing about muggles or muggle culture, he assumes it's some sort of tinderbox or cigarette case and forgets about it. The very next day the muggle newspapers have a new front page headline."

He may have simplified it for them, but the point still stood.

He stared at each of them in turn. "That is why you need to know these things. That's just one possible situation that could occur. Each and every day muggles are becoming more advanced, more ingenious with their inventions. If we don't, at the very least, keep up with what they're capable of then it won't be long before we are eventually discovered. Any questions?"

Dead silence met him as the students processed this new information. With this information, hopefully many of his students would gain a healthy appreciation for mu- normal humans.

"Hold on" Fred spoke up, "If muggles can do all this, how come they still don't know we exist?" Many of the students nodded and turned to Stein for an explanation.

The boy was cleverer than he looked, Stein remembered.

"Because ever since a certain incident not too long ago, the ministry has been sure to strictly train many of it's employees on how to operate and recognise muggle technology. If they didn't then you'd be right; we most likely would have been discovered already."

He let that sink in for a moment. These people needed to know just how close they were to the general population finding things out. Lord Death was known to exist by the top levels of governments all around the world. This much-needed support, coupled with how rare pre-kishins actually appeared, helped cover them up from the general public. Not-to-mention that weak pre-kishin tended to be invisible to those without strong wavelengths.

"But enough about that," Stein clapped his hands together, startling many of the students out of their sombre moods and making them jump. "Now it's time for a little learning." He stood up and turned towards the chalkboard. "Now the basics about electricity-"

As he was writing Stein noticed the sudden change in wavelength. One of the twins, Fred, was preparing some sort of mischief. Being careful not to turn around and alert the boy, Stein waited for his moment...

Behind him half the class watched in horror, the other in resignation, as Fred Weasley carefully levitated the dungbomb with his wand. He and George had long ago gotten bored of merely excelling in class. It had been rather easy and so at the end of last year they had began to turn their considerable talents to more...amusing pursuits.

Their mum had been furious with them for botching the end of year exams, but the two didn't let that stop them.

Fred aimed carefully at the back of the new teacher's head. It wasn't anything personal. The guy had practically challenged them on the train, they had no choice! He and his brother had a reputation to maintain. He took aim, then with a flick of his wand sent the dungbomb shooting towards the back of the teacher's head.

Smack!

With inhuman speed the back of Stein's hand shot out, knocking the dungbomb cleanly out of the window where it exploded outside. Most impressively, Stein neither turned around nor paused in his speech as he did this. The scraping of the chalk continued unabated as the whole class, especially Fred, stared open-mouthed at the man.

Well that might put a damper in their plans. Was it some sort of supersensory spell? Fred had read about those, but even they only offered a little warning. Nothing like the sheer speed their teacher had just casually demonstrated.

Next to him, George gave him an inquisitive look, holding up the rest of the dungbombs. Fred grinned and gave the thumbs-up. Ensuring Professor Stein wasn't about to turn round they put the remaining six dungbombs on their desks. The original plan had been to quickly hit him in the back of the head with a dungbomb whenever he turned around. But apparently their new teacher had eyes in the back of his head and the reflexes of a quintaped.

As they began levitating the dungbombs one by one Stein idly tapped his foot on the floor, as if in thought. Once all were floating in mid-air they got ready to aim. They didn't need all the dungbombs to hit him, just a few. The rest could ruin his desk or hit the wall. Either way, the professor would definitely need to get new clothes for the rest of the day.

'Wait a moment,' Fred realised as Stein still hadn't turned around. 'He knows someone just tried to prank him. Why hasn't he turned around?' The answer came to him an instant too late, 'It's a trap!'

A strange sharp jolt, like what happened on the train, shot through both boys and their dungbombs fell to the floor. Fred looked at them wide-eyed,

'Oh sh-'

They exploded into a cloud of stinky yellow gas. It enveloped both of the twins desks causing then to wretch loudly. Fred could barely see or breathe. The combined stench was just so powerful his eyes were watering.

He groped forward blindly. Staggering, trying to get out of the toxic cloud. Dimly he was aware of the other students laughing. Suddenly in front of him, he grabbed something cloth-like. Without thinking he desperately wiped his eyes with it. Trying to clear the horrendous gases out of his eyes.

Merlin, his head was spinning it was that bad!

Blinking a couple of times he looked up, directly into his teacher's blank face. The room was clear now, he could now see having wiped his eyes.

George was crawling on the floor a couple of desks away. Fred looked right at Professor Stein then at the cloth he was holding. The cloth that was actually the man's lab coat. A lab coat that now had greasy yellow marks on it from where he'd rubbed his eyes. The whole class stared in a tense silence.

The tall man turned his screw slowly.

Crank! The class winced at the sound.

Crank!

The light from the window glinted menacingly off Stein's glasses. Fred grinned sheepishly,

"Uh, ta-da?"

According to the rules Stein could only give them a week of detention rather than just dissect the two for interrupting his class. He made it perfectly clear to them which option he would have preferred. It was fun to see the winces as he talked to them after the lesson, idly fingering the scalpel he kept in plain sight on his desk.

Well maybe they'd gain an appreciation for muggles after cleaning the trophy room with Filch for a week. He hadn't missed the impressed looks some of the students had shot him when they thought he wasn't looking. Clearly muggle studies didn't have much of a reputation if they expected the teacher to be a pushover. It was no wonder since muggle studies required no actual spell-work. Stein was glad he'd corrected that at least.

He hadn't had any more problems with the twins since then. They seemed to realise that there were easier targets than their Muggle Studies Professor. At least for now anyway. Once their pride had recovered, he had no doubt they'd be back.

For a while it had truly bamboozled the scientist, as to how Filch cleaned to whole castle. He was just one man and yet Hogwarts remained utterly spotless with barely any dust anywhere. Stein wasn't quick to merely dismiss this as 'magic'. He was a scientist! To resign himself to such an explanation would be tantamount to defeat. Not to mention that Filch's soul, unpleasant and bitter as it was, had no magic contained within it whatsoever.

It wasn't until the end of the first week, during the night that Stein found out how the castle remained in such a clean state.

He had been sleeping in his bed at the end of a long week, when there was a soft noise at the foot of his bed. A tiny, almost unnoticeable little crack.

In a flash Stein leapt out of his bed and pinned the creature foolish enough to enter his room against the door. Within an instant he'd studied the creature's basic soul structure and could disintegrate it with but a thought.

"What are you doing?" He asked bad-temperedly. Even he didn't like being awoken in the middle of the night.

It was a strange little creature holding a dustpan and brush. It had large pale, bat-like ears as well as huge blue watering eyes. It was wearing some sort of uniform that had the Hogwarts crest displayed upon it. The creature's soul was surprisingly small, but very magical. It was a pale pinkish colour of about average size. It was incredibly subservient to others, remarkably so in fact. It rather reminded Stein of the soul of that chain-scythe back in Shibusen.

"P-p-please master!I-I-I w-was only doin' my j-job," It stammered pathetically. Stein gave it a piercing stare but let it go. Clearly it didn't mean any harm. It's soul was utterly bare before him.

"What are you and what is it you're doing here?" He asked, his tone still cold. The thing rubbed it's sore neck for a moment before answering,

"I-I is a house elf!" It answered proudly, making Stein blink from the sudden change in attitude. "It's my job to clean this part of the castle," pride was overriding it's fear of him at this point.

"Then I apologise for harming you." Stein gave a short bow and the house elf froze. "Please do continue,"

"NO!" It blurted out before covering it's mouth with it's hands.

Stein raised an eyebrow, 'What is wrong with this thing?'

"I-it's improper." It squawked indignantly, "A wizard should never bow to a house elf!"

"Well pretend I didn't then" he ordered. It seemed to struggle with this command for a moment before nodding and getting back to work. Stein observed it coolly. Were house-elves common in wizarding households? If it told anyone how he handled it would he be out of a job? Stein groaned in frustration. He wanted to dissect it so _badly_.

"Can I help you with anything master?" It piped up, suddenly right next to him.

"I'm sorry for grabbing you earlier." Stein apologised, "I hope you won't hold it against me."

"Oh no, no, no sir!" It said happily, "Notty is used to it sir. Before being employed at Hogwarts, Notty used to work for other wizard. Had terrible nightmares, would often hex Notty if I came in at the wrong moment."

"He hexed you often?" The elf visibly backtracked, shaking it's head.

"No, never! Musn't talk about previous masters. It's not proper." The elf continued to walk around the room, banishing dust and sweeping things up. Stein watched it keenly until it's job was done, whereupon it made for the door.

"Thank you Notty." Stein said politely. It froze for a moment before smiling at him,

"Not a problem master." It shut the door behind it.

Stein gave his screw a couple of turns. So it wasn't adverse to being thanked then? He'd have to fine tune his responses. He'd nearly killed it before he even properly woke up. Stein went back to bed, hoping this would be the weirdest night he'd have in a while.

* * *

><p>Stein shook himself out of his reverie and made slowly made his way to the staffroom for a bit of relaxation before dinner.<p>

Other than lessons, chatting with the other teachers was another good pastime. It was required of his mission to get the general perception of the wizarding world's attitudes towards muggles anyway. What better way to do that than talk to his colleagues?

He entered the staffroom and quickly sat down on one of the sofa's among Filius and Minerva. They greeted him cordially as he sat down and joined in on their conversation about particular books of interest.

He got on particularly well with Filius Flitwick. Stein's initial impression of the man had been correct. He was very well-read in both muggle and magical literature and loved discussing and recommending books to him. Even if dissection was Stein's favourite hobby, he still loved to gather information and learn. His natural curiosity was what drove him in all his actions.

"That sounds interesting. I'll see if the library keeps that book in stock," Stein declared, his friendly new teacher persona on full blast.

He loved enjoying a nice break and discussing a number of interesting magical topics with Professor Flitwick. He quickly picked up upon quite a bit more about the Wizarding world than he otherwise would have.

The rather small wizard sat on the sofa opposite him, a number of papers surrounding him with a quill in his hand. Every now and then he would take a sip of tea from the teacup floating at perfect height beside him. Minerva McGonagall sat on the opposite end of the sofa to him. She had finished grading whatever papers she'd been marking earlier.

Far off, Severus Snape sat bent-over a nice-looking desk. His quill a blur and his face a scowl as he marked what was clearly a shoddy piece of work.

It was a point of pride for the scientist that he was able to blend in so well. Even being able to fool highly intelligent wizards and witches like these three for about a month now without giving them any cause of suspicion. Knowledge was indeed power.

"I'm sure they do. Hogwarts has a rather expansive library." McGonagall claimed, a cup of tea nestled warmly in her hands. "You know Stein, you should consider maybe applying for a position in Arithmancy or maybe even Transfiguration. Your intellect seems rather wasted on Muggle Studies."

"Thank you," Stein said politely.

"It's true. Why only the other day Septima was raving about these new mathematics you spoke to her about. She's even thinking of writing a paper on it. With you of course." She gave him an impressed smile, which coming from Minerva McGonagall, meant an awful lot.

"You must have quite a mind there boy," Filius said happily waving his finger, "Don't waste it."

Stein twitched a little at being called boy, but considering the age difference between them it was understandable. What was interesting was the lack of respect for the Muggle Studies subject. Although it was understandable considering the course doesn't teach anything particularly advanced until NEWT level. He made a mental note of their attitudes. However, from what Stein had seen so far, there seemed to be little danger of these people joining the Witches.

"All I really do is read a lot," Stein claimed with a false modesty. "I doubt I'd ever be able to teach Arithmancy and certainly not Transfiguration!"

He'd read about that being the most complex of Wizarding arts; the ability to transform one object into another. He'd only read one book on it and the concentration required to turn say, a desk into a living breathing pig, was simply phenomenal. Although most transfigurations are only temporary and rather easy to defend against, due to their sheer complexity. It was far easier to focus on a simple offensive spell than to try and turn your opponent into an animal.

"Well, if all else fails you could always be a librarian." Snape interjected snidely from another chair some-ways away. "Although you might scare the children..."

Stein had to hold in a smirk at that. A couple of the students had reported being rather intimidated by Stein's looks. It had been largely ignored, other than occasional ribbing on he got, due to the fact the complaints tended to stop after he taught them a class.

"If I recall Severus," McGonagall spoke up, "you always had your nose in a book back when you were younger." She spoke with the tone of parent patronising a child. Had she actually taught Severus?

"This does seem to be a case of the pot calling the kettle black." Filius chuckled to himself. Stein knew they were old but wow.

"I studied diligently rather than for fun," Snape pointed out coldly. "Deriving amusement from random textbooks is best suited for the likes of Filius and his ilk. Unless it happens to be about potions, of course."

Abruptly he stood up, sweeping his arms about him in a magnificent gesture to gather his notes. "Anyway, despite how much I enjoy the art of conversation; I have a class to teach." He actually sighed, "Third year Gryffindors..." he growled before marching out of the staffroom, his long black cloak billowing out behind him.

Despite the dig at her house McGonagall didn't seem particularly offended, she sighed and put a hand to her face,

"No wonder he's in a bad mood. The Weasley twins behaviour has become increasingly worse this year. They used to be such sweet and intelligent boys. But now all they do is cause trouble!"

"Well there's not much we can really do about that now Minerva," Filius pointed out. "Not any more than what we've already been doing anyway..."

There was a lull in the conversation as it teetered off into silence. It was a deep shame that two such intelligent students had decided to forgo academic achievement and become mere nuisances.

"Oh Minerva?" Filius spoke, suddenly reminded of something. "Have you per-chance taught that Granger girl yet?"

"Yes I have actually. She is very bright isn't she?" Minerva's tone had turned prideful. It was no secret to the faculty that she saw her Gryffindors as something akin to her children.

"Indeed, she managed 112% on her last exam!" Filius proclaimed with enthusiasm. "Keep an eye on that one, she'll go far with the right guidance."

Stein spoke up, "Is she really that good?"

"She's unbelievable!" Filius claimed, "I'm rather sore you managed to snatch her from me Minerva," he said with good humour.

"The hat never lies," she claimed with a smirk.

At that moment the door opened and Quirinus Quirrel quickly marched in.

"Afternoon Quirinus," Stein said, holding up a hand in a lazy wave. The man jumped as if only noticing they were there.

"G-g-good afternoon," the man walked over to a nearby desk and began hastily scooping-up a number of papers. "I-I forgot s-something for c-c-class" he stammered quickly, searching for something. Stein took the opportunity to study the man's soul while he searched.

'Hmm,' Like any other wizards it was surprisingly dark blue despite his nervous demeanour, although it wasn't particularly large. 'Wait a minute...' Stein gave his screw a couple of turns, as if to focus himself. There was something else on the man's soul. It-it was similar to what was on Potter's!

A large green tear completely enveloped Quirrel's meagre soul. Except unlike Potter's, whose seemed utterly benign, this one was actively mixing colours with Quirrel's. The green seemed to flow out of the tendrils through Quirrel's soul and back in. The blue and green colours were slowly mixing together, fighting one another. Stein realised.

It looked bad though. The green was winning; it's colour was utterly dominant. Quirrel's soul was slowly being consumed by... whatever that was.

Quirrel found whatever it was he was looking for before he took one last nervous look at them and practically flew out the front door.

Stein gave his screw another turn, "Is he alright?"

"You seem to intimidate him somewhat." Minerva pointed out dryly, "Perhaps you shouldn't stare so intently at people."

Stein turned back to them utterly unembarrassed, "He seems a bit too delicate to be teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts." He pointed out.

"Don't let appearances fool you," Filius warned, "Dumbledore must have given him the position for a good reason."

"Yes. Quite likely because no-one else would volunteer for the job!" Minerva said taking a sip of tea, "We haven't been able to hold onto a decent Defence Professor for longer than a year for decades!"

"Is the position really jinxed?" Stein questioned finding the idea interesting.

"Hogwash!" Filius exclaimed, "We would have noticed by now if it was, and if we somehow missed it Dumbledore certainly wouldn't have!"

"Dumbledore may be a powerful wizard but he's certainly not infallible," Minerva pointed out. "It would take a powerful jinx to curse an entire position for this long!"

Stein leant back putting his arms behind his head and tuned out the two Professors. What was that thing consuming Quirinus's soul? Should he destroy it for him? It would be frightfully easy. A single Soul Menace and the problem would be gone for good. Although, that thing had sunk it's hooks pretty deep in there. If he destroyed it, it could kill Quirrel if his soul was too damaged to sustain itself.

Best not risk it for now. He would certainly blow his cover if he murdered the Defence Professor for seemingly no reason.

* * *

><p>It was Stein's turn to patrol the corridors of Hogwarts this evening. Two teachers each evening were tasked of patrolling the long dark corridors of Hogwarts every night. This was to discourage any late-night rendezvous amongst the students. They were instructed to be rather severe in their punishments if they caught any students out of bed. Stein theorised it was due to the nature of whatever it was that was hidden in the third-floor.<p>

This evening, he and Minerva were on duty. He offered to take the lower castle while she took the upper half, each half being closer to their respective rooms.

Stein walked down one of the countless staircases that populated Hogwarts to the third-floor charms corridor. He took a long draw on his cigarette, bliss.

"Hey, you be careful with that!" One of the paintings next to him scolded, eyeing the flame-tip with alarm.

"Relax, I'm no arsonist." Stein replied calmly making his merry way forward and past the painting.

That was another thing that was difficult to get used too. He'd almost destroyed the first painting that talked to him without warning. That had been a messy business. Stein had managed to explain it away as 'being jumpy' to the other staff member on duty. They seemed to buy it. Anyway he was sure that Sir Cadogan would forgive him eventually. He'd only singed a small amount of his painting.

"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" A loud voice bellowed, echoing down the corridors. "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!" Stein casually made his way towards the voice that he recognised as belonging to Peeves the resident Poltergeist. This could just as easily be a trick to lure the staff member on duty (or Filch) to Peeves, as it could be him trying to annoy the students who he'd discovered breaking curfew.

He could suddenly hear footsteps ahead of him.

"Which way did they go, Peeves? Quick tell me!" Another more nasally voice demanded.

"Say 'please'."

"Don't mess me about Peeves, now where did they go?!"

"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," Peeves replied with an air of smugness. Stein rounded the corner to see Filch and his cat arguing with the poltergeist.

"All right - please." Filch practically forced the word out of his throat.

"NOTHING!" Peeves bellowed at the top of his ghostly lungs, "Ha ha! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please!"

Filch balled his hands up and was about to start yelling when Stein put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't give him the satisfaction," he said calmly. Filch turned to look at him with a gleam in his eye,

"Good, make him tell me where they went!" He turned back to Peeves, who had taken Stein's arrival as a distraction and fled.

Filch practically screamed in rage, "Now they're lost for good! Excellent work _Professor,_" Filch said before parading off, muttering unsavoury things under his breath. His cat: Mrs Norris followed calmly after him.

Stein sighed, what a bitter and angry man Argus was. He activated his soul perception and looked around. Clearly the students, if they'd existed, had come through that secret passage hidden by a tapestry. If memory served, that particular passage came out around the Trophy Room.

Looking around, Stein noticed something else. Four souls, one that was very familiar in particular, were hiding behind the door at the end of the corridor.

'So Peeves wasn't lying after all,' Stein walked slowly to the end of the corridor, ready to apprehend them.

The door suddenly shot open and four screaming students came tumbling out. For a moment, Stein saw a large jaw snap shut where they had just been standing. The students however didn't even pause to look, their fear was overruling them. Potter slammed the door shut and all four of them ran- straight into Stein.

The one with red hair collided into him, causing the others to collide into the child. They all fell backwards onto the floor and tried to regain their bearings from the sudden fall.

Then they looked up into Stein's barely illuminated face and screamed again.

He twitched.

"Stop it!" He commanded, causing them to fall silent. They stared up at him with barely concealed terror. He let out a small cloud of smoke and studied them intensely. They all looked like first-years; each only a year or so older than Maka.

A girl with mousy brown hair, who was staring up at him with terror in her eyes and wearing a pink dressing gown. The other boys wore red dressing gowns, indicating they were in Gryffindor.

One of the boys had hair and freckles matching his bright red clothes - possibly a relative of the twins. The other had black hair, his lip was wobbling and looked as if he'd wet himself. Finally the Potter boy stared up almost defiantly at Stein, as if silently daring him to suggest them a punishment.

Stein gave his screw a couple of turns, inwardly delighting at their winces at the noise.

"Now then, will any of you care to tell me what you four are doing out of bed?"

The four children continued to breathe heavily and looked amongst each other; waiting for someone else to speak up.

Once she'd caught her breath the little girl cleared her throat, drawing panicked looks from Potter and the Weasley. "W-Well Professor...err"

"Stein,"

"Professor Stein, I caught Harry and Ron trying to sneak out to meet Malfoy in the Trophy Room-"

"-Hermione!" Potter and Weasley protested angrily, before Stein shut them up with a look.

"N-Neville and I tried to stop them but they wouldn't listen! And Malfoy wasn't there and Filch was, s-so we ran!" She finished quickly, omitting any other details while glancing at the other two nervously.

"Is this true?" Stein gave the others a searching gaze. Their defiant looks remained even though they'd been caught. Neville nodded ashamedly, causing the other two to, with some reluctance, mutter their own versions of confirmation. It was clear to Stein they weren't telling the whole truth but then again the details didn't really matter.

It seemed even magical children still acted like children. Some things never changed.

Well what to do with these four?

"You're all lucky you weren't killed." Stein spoke with concealed disinterest, "Which of you opened that door?" The girl immediately went bright red and tears seemed to gather at her eyes. Well that answered that.

So what the old man said was true then. Hermione Granger was indeed a very talented witch. They shouldn't be learning the unlocking charm for a good couple of months, yet she was already able to perform it!

"Never mind it doesn't matter," Stein decided rubbing the back of his head. "What does matter though: is what should I do with each of you?" He leant in, eyeing them with interest. The children shivered in horror, subconsciously drawing closer together for protection. How adorable.

"Perhaps..." he considered, watching them squirm. "...Perhaps you've all suffered enough."

The stunned looks on their faces was certainly worth it.

"It seems meeting that thing was punishment enough for you four," Stein said kindly smiling at them. The four seemed barely able to believe their eyes, blinking up at him.

"Y-you're not going to punish us Professor?" Potter asked with disbelief.

"There's no need really. You all seem to have learnt your lesson about breaking curfew." He let a bit of malice enter his voice, "_You have haven't you_?"

He almost giggled at the fear that became apparent on their faces. They nodded quickly.

"Good." He was back to smiling, "Just get back to your dormitories without being seen and we'll all pretend we never saw one another." The four quickly picked themselves up off of the floor and hastily made their way past him. "Goodnight!" He waved as they sped away as fast as they could.

The four quickly turned the corner without glancing back once and were out of sight.

He gave it a few minutes then Stein smirked and turned to face the door. He couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. Time to see what this beast truly was. He gripped the handle and opened the door-

-a large jaw clamped shut right in front of him. Stein didn't flinch. This things jaw couldn't even fit through the door, there was no way it could reach him.

Channelling his soul wavelength Stein flicked it on the nose, causing the beast to howl and draw back in pain. Shutting the door behind him, Stein got a good look at the room and creature.

It was a Cerberus! According to ancient Greek legend this is the beast that guarded the passage to the underworld. A massive three-headed dog, which currently had it's middle-head's nose between it's paws, had it's back pressed against the entire back wall; still taking up most of the room. From what he read Cerberus (Cerberi?) had a decent amount of magical resistance, as well as three heads allowing for three different angles of attack and so were a difficult enemy for a wizard to fight alone.

It was incredible! Did it have three brains, or were they all connected somehow to one? How did such a nervous system work? Could it react faster if the signal went to one brain from one half of the body? It would be easy to find out. A few cuts there, a few slices here and a stimulus -his powerful wavelength would easily suffice- and he'd have the creature dancing along in anyway he saw fit!

Did it's magic resistance come from it's size? Or was it a property of it's fur or skin? A simple test to find out would be easy, all he needed was a willing wizard to help him. How could he ensure co-operation? Maybe if threatened to dissect the wizard if he didn't do it. Yes, then he'd agree and he dissect him afterwards! Stein had to put a hand over his mouth, barely avoiding burning himself on his cigarette, to stop his mad giggling.

Slowly, breathing heavily, he calmed himself down. Twisting his screw, he ever so slowly brought himself back down to sanity. His heartbeat decreased and he felt his body relax somewhat. Stein too a deep desperate drag on his cigarette. The nicotine helped ease the madness somewhat.

He slowly closed his eyes then opened them again; ready to see the world as something other than an experiment.

Now that he thought about it. It seemed rather dangerous to leave such a dangerous creature in the middle of a school where practically anyone could get too it. Behind a locked door that a first year, albeit an obviously talented one, could breach so easily. Although it didn't attack the students, only chased them out. Maybe the thing was trained not to attack kids? That would make more sense.

Looking closer around the room, the Cerberus seemed to be standing on some sort of large wooden trapdoor.

'That must lead to whatever it's guarding,' Stein realised, remembering Dumbledore's words. 'It's a guard-dog!'

The beast had apparently gotten over Stein's meagre attack and now stood -all three heads now growling at him- waiting for the scientist to make a move. Stein put one foot forward. The beast jumped back a little, all three sets of teeth bared but still growling.

So it was afraid of him. Stein's eyes narrowed, as it should be. He had been _this _close to tearing it apart just to satiate his own curiosity.

As much as he would love to explore what was beyond the trapdoor, who knew what sort of magical detection spells lurked beneath? He didn't need to get fired so quickly into his mission. It had barely been a month! That would be difficult to explain to Lord Death.

Keeping a careful eye on the Cerberus, Stein backed away and back into the corridor. He shut the door behind him and began to think.

This new environment, every time he encountered something new he went a little mad. If he didn't do something about it, it was only a matter of time before he did something to blow his mission. Maybe Hagrid knew more about the creature? It seemed to be his area of expertise. Not to mention the man had promised Stein to let the scientist tag along the next time he went out into the Forbidden Forest.

Hopefully he could dissect a few creatures in there without fear of reprisal. He seriously needed an outlet before it was too late. He'd read of a few interesting creatures that lurked in the forest. Ripping them apart should satiate him for long enough to keep the students safe.

Stein left the corridor behind him and finished his route before going to bed. Perhaps tomorrow he could chat to Hagrid about it? Find out more about that Cerberus and what it's guarding. Although he should be careful not to show too much interest. Hagrid was a little slow at times, but far from stupid. It wouldn't surprise Stein if the man reported everything he did to Dumbledore.

Speaking of the headmaster, Stein had barely seen the man other than at mealtimes. The interview he'd had with him had been rather unnerving for the both of them. Why hire Stein if he suspected that the scientist could be a danger to the school? Clearly Wizarding Society was very different to that of ordinary humans. Most parents wouldn't send their child to a school where there was a risk of the child dying. Maybe suing didn't exist in the Wizarding world?

Stein grumbled to himself and incinerated the remains of his cigarette before entering his classroom. He was too tired to dwell on it now.

He was about to get into bed before he caught sight of the mirror. It was practically the end of the month, his duty-bound side reminded him. He really should make a report to Lord Death. In Nevada it was probably around six in the evening, so he wouldn't be disturbing anyone.

Sighing he wandered over to the mirror and dialled,

"Hello! Hello Stein! How's it going?!" The ever-cheerful voice of Lord Death echoed throughout the room.

"Good evening Lord Death, I have some more news to report." Stein said professionally.

"Ah, excellent. Well go on then." Death prompted

"I discovered another soul rather like the Potter-boy's." Stein began seriously,

"Oh?"

"Except this one was marginally different. Instead of being benign it was actively feeding on the man's soul to keep itself alive."

Death's voice grew serious, "That's worrying news Stein. Have there been any other cases?"

"No. I've been scanning people much more often since then and I can confirm those two are the only ones in the castle like that. None of the books I've read have ever mentioned anything to do with souls. I have the impression that these people aren't sure of their existence."

Death was silent in thought for a moment. "Is there anything else to report?"

"Nothing else sir. I've been making good progress and integrated myself firmly into the school."

"That's good to here!" Death's voice was back to being cheerful again. "If you have any problems just give me a call! Keep me updated! I'll call you if we learn any more about these soul parasites you're describing."

"What should I do about them? I'm not sure I could remove the one on the teacher's soul without killing him."

"Then don't interfere." Death ordered simply, "Keep your cover for now. Try not to stand out too much, we need to gather as much information as we can."

"Understood, sir. By the way, where's Spirit? You don't usually let him go home this early."

"He had to go home to deal with little Maka," here Death's voice turned sickeningly sweet. "She's become ill and he went home early to help Kami take care of her."

"Oh," Stein said simply.

"Apparently Maka has been expressing an interest in joining Shibusen at some point!" Death continued happily. "Spirit says he's still waiting for her to show signs of having inherited his weapon-blood, but that seems to be increasingly unlikely."

"If she had weapon-blood Maka would have demonstrated it by now. Kami and Spirit would hardly miss something like that...Well Kami wouldn't anyway."

"That's true." Death agreed jovially. His constant happy attitude could get grating if you didn't know him. Then again he was Death. Anything that could put him in a bad mood showed you just how terrible the situation was.

"Again, good luck Stein! Lord Death away!" And with that, the mirror once more became a mirror.

Stein collapsed tiredly into his bed, glad that at very least the first month was over with. Hopefully the next month would be just as uneventful. He didn't want to cause a massacre. At least not yet.

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><p><strong>AN: Another end to another chapter. Thank you to everyone for reviewing. As well as clearing up the issue of how many Hogwarts students there are.**

**Feel free to ask any questions, give suggestions or just tell me your thoughts in the review section. Was everyone acting in character? Were there any parts you particularly enjoyed? etc.**

**Massive thanks to everyone for their support! I'm quite happy with this story so far! I'll be integrating more and more aspects of the Harry Potter and Soul Eater universe's as the fic continues. Let me know how I do!**

**Hope everyone enjoyed!**

**Updates every week!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Here's the latest chapter. Hope you all enjoy!**

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><p><strong>A Red October<strong>

Stein sat down in his usual place at the head table in the Great Hall. It was time for breakfast and the scientist had a full schedule for the day. He'd be teaching his fifth year class as well as a fourth-year, and then he'd be going off with Hagrid into the Forbidden Forest.

He honestly had no idea why they'd name it the 'Forbidden' Forest. In his experience that would attract curious students to it like moths to a flame. He'd already been told that certain students just couldn't seem to stay out of the forest and that he should punish any students he catches wandering in there very strictly. Why couldn't they just name it the Forest of Certain Death? That's what Lord Death would have done. Then the students would just have to be plain stupid to go frolicking through the woods and who cared if _they_ went missing?

He picked up a piece of toast and put it on his plate along with a few strips of bacon. Next to him sat Poppy Pomfrey the school nurse. She was a rather strict woman who's word was practically gospel if you were in the hospital wing. Even the other teachers wouldn't dare cross her in matters regarding the students health. This obviously came about because of her incredible kindness; her number one concern was always the well-being of her patients.

Currently Poppy had a plate with two pieces of toast in front of her and was busy reading the Daily Prophet. Apparently even wizards had tabloid newspapers. You just couldn't escape it.

"I didn't know you read the Daily Prophet, Poppy." Stein said surprised. She shrugged in response,

"I do it mostly for the medical articles at the back," she explained, still engrossed in what she was reading. "That woman is a genius." She muttered to herself before taking a bite out of her toast.

"It must be difficult training to be a healer." Stein remarked. Poppy gave a long-suffering sigh,

"You have no idea. It's such difficult and important magic that they only accept the very best." She turned to him, "You need Outstanding's in NEWT charms, Transfigurations and Potions before they'll even think of taking you."

"How much additional training do you get after you leave Hogwarts then?" Stein questioned eagerly.

"You get a few years of shadowing some of the other healers at St Mungo's -that's Britain's hospital" she added, sensing his confusion. "They get you on the right track; teaching you healing spells and how to brew certain potions in their spare time."

So they never got formal tuition to be healers? They had to learn entirely from experience? That would be practically impossible for muggles. Most doctors didn't have the time to be outright teaching prospective medical students in the middle of a busy hospital.

Wait, did she say 'Britain's Hospital'? As in it's only one?! Stein knew the Wizarding population was small, but still! There was only one magical school in Britain and only one hospital. The Wizarding population must be absolutely tiny compared to that of the muggles!

"Any students that mention to their head of house that they want to become healers get sent my way," Poppy continued. "I don't know about America but we usually ask around fifth year about what careers the students want to pursue."

Stein nodded robotically, "Is that enough tuition? Healing seems very complex, yet your formal education ends the moment you leave Hogwarts at seventeen?"

Poppy seemed rather affronted, "Please give me some credit. Back in the day, yes that's what would happen. Now I offer a club for those wishing to become healers. They help me in the Hospital Wing and I teach them when I have the time." The aged woman shook her head, "Though children these days. They always seem to be hexing and jinxing one another behind each others backs. It's me who has to fix it you know! And don't get me started on Quidditch injuries..."

"What's Quidditch?" Stein asked without thinking. Poppy gave him a funny look,

"You don't know what Quidditch is? Although you don't look the type to play it" she said observing his lab-coat and glasses.

"We don't play it much in America," Stein quickly bluffed; hoping it was true. Poppy quickly confirmed it,

"Oh yes! You play, um...what was it called...Quodpot don't you? That Quidditch knock-off?" Stein let out a silent sigh of relief at not having been found out and silently determined to read up on Quidditch and Quodpot in the library later.

"Yes, I've only ever heard of Quidditch before moving here. Is it good?" He asked curiously,

"It's not too bad, although the injuries are truly something to behold."

She looked rather saddened, "I'm afraid I've been rather put-off Quidditch since I became nurse here. The number of young boys and girls who come in, knocked unconscious from one of those awful bludgers, just astounds me! And as soon as I heal them, guess what they do? They just get up and go back out there to play some more! It really baffles me, it really does. Maybe I should check for brain damage more often..."

So Quidditch was dangerous then? That sounded like it'd be an interesting sport.

"So you don't like it then?" Stein trying to glean a few more details of the sport out of the woman.

At that moment there was an almighty swishing noise and a few screams of horror which quickly devolved into laughter. The entire Slytherin table had had their robes somehow turned completely red and gold. McGonagall gave a very quiet sigh before standing up to yell at whoever it was that did it. Stein was probably the only one who caught the feeling of triumph in the twins' souls as well as saw the high-five.

"Talk to Minerva about it." Poppy said dismissively, "How an intelligent woman like her can stand that sport I just don't know!"

"Is that why she's been so lively recently?" Stein questioned, looking over to where the deputy-head was chewing out and issuing detentions to the Weasley twins before offering to change the robes back. Ever since a few days ago, since he caught those four Gryffindors actually, she'd been absolutely buzzing with this excited energy. She had apparently mentioned to a couple of other teachers about some sort of 'secret weapon' and it being 'like nothing she'd ever seen'. Maybe it had something to do with this Quidditch business?

"Most definitely," Poppy said curtly before loudly shuffling her newspaper; signalling the end of the conversation.

It was clear he wouldn't be getting anymore information out of her, so Stein decided to just go back to eating his breakfast. It was at that point that a flock of owls then entered the Great Hall through some unseen gap in the ceiling. The morning post arrived in spectacular fashion as usual.

Except this time, a small barn owl flew right over to Stein and stood proudly next to a bowl of porridge. It extended it's leg showing him a letter. Confused, Stein carefully unhooked the letter from the owl's leg. It hooted then quickly flew off back outside before he could do anything else.

Stein didn't really know anyone outside of Hogwarts who would communicate with him. Who could this be from?

Carefully he opened the letter, half-expecting some sort of trap. A small white letter greeted him, written in cursive yet childish handwriting:

Dear Dr Stein,

Hi! I hope you're enjoying your mission! Papa told me to write to you since I'll be joining Shibusen next year and you used to be his meister. He told me a lot about you. Did you know you're in several books about soul wavelengths? I can't believe I got to meet you! You were really funny!

Papa says you're at someplace called Hogwarts and that it's magical! I wonder what it's like?

He also said he'd get my letter to you somehow but I don't know how he'd do it if you're on a mission. If he bugs you don't let him get away with it!

I was rather hoping that you'd teach me a little, since you know so much and I'll be joining next year. But if you can't it's alright! I'm going to make a Death Scythe, just like you and Mama so a few tips would be appreciated.

Thank you very much!

From

Maka Albarn

Stein sat there staring at the letter for a few moments. It seems he'd made quite an impression on Spirit's daughter. How he'd managed that utterly eluded his powerful mind. What's more he couldn't believe Spirit had sent him a letter through the post that could utterly ruin his mission!

He quickly folded the letter away and tucked it into his coat's inside pocket. If anyone had intercepted his mail for whatever reason, he'd have an awful lot of questions to answer. He had enough trouble keeping up with things as it was without any extra attention diverted onto him. Stein stood up having finished his breakfast and made a mental note to have Death knock some sense into Spirit.

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><p>This afternoon was one he'd been looking forward too for a long time now. This was the trip he <em>needed. <em>

After a decent amount of pestering, Hagrid had finally agreed to show him the Forbidden Forest. Stein walked down to the grounds trying to curb the sense of rising excitement he felt for the coming night. The forest soon came into view; it's tall and imposing trees causing an unnatural shadow to be formed by the light of the mid-afternoon sun. Perhaps some magical spell to keep the students out, Stein theorised.

Hagrid's hut was easy to spot. It was a small wooden rusty shack surrounded by huge pumpkins, all still growing in the ground. Following the steps downwards he soon saw the small amount of smoke coming off of the chimney that might has well have been a signal flare to Stein. A quick check with soul perception confirmed Hagrid's dirt-brown soul lurking in the shack.

He knocked on the door and was immediately assaulted by barking of a dog.

"Down Fang! Down!" Yelled the giant as a large latch was lifted and the door swung open. There stood Hagrid looking rather proud of himself. "Ah Professer Stein, good t' see yer!" He moved to the side to let the man in.

The inside wasn't magically enhanced in any way, much to Stein's surprise. The inside of the hut was just as small as the outside had suggested; which seemed rather unique among magical buildings. Many of the stores in Diagon Alley had vast interiors and Stein was certain some of the classrooms in Hogwarts shouldn't be the size they were.

It was a rather basic design. Animal pelts were strewn across the floor and the walls, a particularly large one across a particularly large bed. Wooden cupboards framed a small kitchen-like area and he spotted a large table in the middle of the room. There was a large chair place near the table and a roaring fire completed the picture.

"Si' down, si' down!" Hagrid roared warmly gesturing to what Stein assumed was a sofa, "I'll make some tea." He wondered off and put a kettle over the grate on top of the fire. Stein sat down as Hagrid quickly brought two mugs and set them on the table in-between them. There was a strange mix of smells in the air. Stein figured it would be best, for once, if he didn't try and figure out what they were.

The large dog -Fang- quickly jumped up to Stein and began licking ferociously at every part of the scientist he could reach. Hagrid quickly apologised and got him off. Stein smiled and said it was alright, inwardly suppressing his desire to rip the dog apart.

A couple of minutes later, two steaming hot cups of tea were on the table between them.

"Rock-cake?" Hagrid offered forth a plate of what looked like rock-shaped fruitcake. Stein graciously took one and bit into it. After checking he still had all his teeth, he took another.

"Ah, yer like 'em?" Hagrid asked pleased. "No' many people do, yer know" He put the plate away and took a sip of tea. "Ah, now then." He cleared his throat, "I kno' yer can probably handle yerself, wat with yer being a professer an' all," here he leaned in, "bu' with this forest-never underestimate it. There's all manner of dangerous beasts lurking in there."

"You said there were Werewolves in there," Stein remembered from earlier. Hagrid looked a little uncomfortable,

"Well, stri'ly speaking no' really." He spoke reluctantly, "Yer see, a long time ago two werewolves mated in ter Forbidden Forest, in wolf form. They had a litter o' cubs. That litter became a pack of ve'y smart wolves. They keep studen's out yer see, an' they're practically harmless as well. We just keep the Werewolf idea goin' to keep them out o' ter Forest. For their own safety o' course."

Well that made sense. Although Stein couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed that he wouldn't be able to dissect a werewolf. It was probably for the best anyway. The idea of a clan of wild killers living in a forest next to a school was a rather strange one. Even Shibusen didn't go that far. The last pre-kishin to appear in Death City was dealt with in a matter of seconds. They took the safety of their city very seriously.

"So what will we be doing in the Forest today then?" Stein questioned taking a sip of his tea.

"Not much. We're jus' gonna be feeding the school herds," Hagrid answered quickly. "The Hippogriffs an' the Thestrals."

Interest was suddenly sparked in Stein once again. He'd read up about Hippogriffs but had never seen one. He gave his screw a good couple of turns. It would be bad if he ripped them apart in front of Hagrid. Not to mention that they apparently belonged to the school, meaning he'd definitely be in trouble if caught.

The two of them finished their tea and quickly set off. Hagrid only pausing to grab a large crossbow from some cupboard as well as two large bags, each the size of a wheelbarrow. Stein couldn't help but feel a small tinge of respect for the man. With all the magic he had witnessed lately few ever seemed to rely on their physical skills. Stein offered to carry one of the bags for the man but Hagrid had politely refused on the grounds he did this every day,

"And no offense Stein, but err...yer don't look like the strongest fella around." Hagrid finished as they left the hut. Stein figured he could rather easily lift both sacks as well as Hagrid, but shrugged and decided the man could carry them on his own.

They strolled out into the forest, the Groundskeeper leading the way.

"We won' be going too deep." He explained as they walked onwards over tree roots and fallen leaves. "It get's mighty dangerous the further in yer go."

They soon reached a clearing where a large bunch of what Stein assumed were Hippogriffs sitting together. Upon sight of Hagrid they stood up, eyeing the sacks with obvious interest.

"Hippogriffs can usually feed 'emselves," Hagrid explained as the sacks hit the ground with an almighty thwack! "But it never hurts to be prepared." He reached into one of the sacks and withdrew what looked like a dead ferret.

"Ver' proud creatures-Hippogriffs," Hagrid explained slowly approaching one. "Ver' easily offended. What yer do, is yer bow," the giant bowed low, keeping his eyes on the Hippogriff. "Then yer wait for it to bow back," The Hippogriff, still eyeing the ferret in Hagrid's hand quickly bent it's front legs and took a bow.

"Atta' boy Fleetwing!" He called out chucking the ferret towards the creature. It scooped the dead ferret out of the air and happily trotted back to the rest of the small group of Hippogriffs.

Hagrid held out another dead ferret, "Wan 'a give it a go?" Stein took the ferret, not squeamish in the slightest and approached the Hippogriffs. One of them trotted forward, it's eagle eyes eyeing the delicious morsel he held in his hand. Stein bowed low, observing the gorgeous specimen in front of him. The body and front legs of an eagle and the back of a horse. What a wondrous creature!

It observed him for a moment before it lowered it's front legs and bowed back to him. Stein took the opportunity to approach whilst feeding it the dead ferret. He gently stroked it's head. It gave off some pleasant cooing sounds as he did so.

"You are gorgeous aren't you?" Stein muttered, eyeing it with interest. With a bit of foresight, he quickly gave his screw a couple of clockwise turns before he became too excited. A slight nudge from behind caused him to turn around. Another Hippogriff stood there, waiting expectantly.

"Hagrid! I need more food!" He called towards the pleasantly surprised giant.

"Blimey! Yer a natural!" Hagrid called back handing him the sack.

They fed the rest of the small herd quickly, Hagrid wanted to move on to the thestrals and the Hippogriffs were eyeing the remaining sack with clear interest.

"Alrigh' that's enough fo' you lot," Hagrid warned without malice. "We've got others to feed as well!" He and Stein left the clearing, leaving the remaining Hippogriffs alone.

"That was quite pleasant actually," Stein said as they continued on into the forest.

"Well I am impressed." Hagrid said sincerely. "Most would 'ave panicked, wha' with being surprised by a Hippogriff like that." He clasped a hand the size of dustbin lid on Stein's back. "But yer kept yer head. Now coming up next is ter thestrals."

Remembering his encounter with them at the beginning of term, Stein felt nervous. He doubted it was normal for those creatures to bow to people. It wouldn't give him away, but it would garner suspicion at least.

His nervousness must have shown on his face because then Hagrid spoke up, "No' to worry. Don't believe what the books say. All that nonsense 'bout them bein' omens of death. That's just cause, well, since only those who've seen...y'know death, could see 'em. People never really understood."

"I understand. It gave them a bad reputation." Stein surmised,

"Exactly." Hagrid agreed as they reached a particular clearing. He opened the sack and let a large, bloody pile of meat hit the ground. "Now jus' wait."

Stein activated his soul perception just in case. There were several interesting souls now heading towards them at a sedate pace. These must be the thestrals approaching, they could smell the meat.

It wasn't long before a small skeletal-looking horse strode nervously into the clearing.

"Can yer see it?" Hagrid asked, staring right at the creature. Stein nodded,

"I can see it perfectly." The creature walked forward, sniffing the air as it did so. It's sunken eyes then rested upon Stein and it froze. Without pause it bent it's front legs and bowed, much like the Hippogriffs, before straightening up.

"Is it stretching?" Hagrid muttered slightly confused as the thestral began tearing off chunks of the meat. Soon more of the thestrals entered the clearing, and like the smaller one before them, they also bowed to Stein before tucking into their meal.

It was almost worth it to see the utter confusion on Hagrid's face. Although inwardly Stein was worried at how obvious it was. He didn't know whether they were bowing to him because they could somehow tell he was a servant of Death or because he simply had a very powerful soul that they could somehow sense. Either way he was bound to garner some suspicion from Hagrid.

"So tell me about thestrals Hagrid," Stein said, trying to distract the man. "What are they used for other than pulling carriages?"

Hagrid looked practically ecstatic that someone was taking such an interest in them. "Well, they aren't really put ter much use to be perfectly frank," he began. "The whole 'Omen o' Death' thing still hangs around today an' all. It's a damn shame really, they're mighty useful beasts. Migh'y intelligent as well. Tamed ones like these ones will take yer anywhere yer want to go, just name the place. Why Dumbledore 'imself sometimes uses them when he can't apparate or use a portkey."

Hagrid then looked furious with himself, "I shoul' not have said that. I shoul' _not _have said that. Forget yer heard me say anything a' all!"

"Why? What's wrong with travelling by thestral?" Stein asked as the nearest one let him pet it.

Hagrid looked distinctly uncomfortable, "Well, stricl'y speaking, it's not technically legal to travel on one. What with 'em being classed as XXXX dangerous animals and the whole Statute of Secrecy thing. Jus' forget I said anything."

Stein gave him a conspirator nod and went back to petting the creature. Suddenly a thought struck him.

"Hey Hagrid? What do you know about that Cerberus on the third floor?"

Hagrid looked down at him surprised, "Wha' Fluffy?"

"That's it's name?" Stein asked incredulously.

"Yeah, what's wrong with Fluffy?"

Stein sighed, "Nothing Hagrid. What's it doing in the third-floor corridor?"

"I'm not allowed to tell yer that," Hagrid said clamping up.

It seemed that his earlier slip-up with the thestrals had put him on guard. Oh well, it didn't really matter much. Stein wasn't particularly interested in finding out what the creature was guarding. If being caught snooping around cost him his job then he'd fail his mission, and that's something he couldn't allow. It seemed unlikely that whatever the dog was guarding would affect his objective, so it really wasn't worth looking into.

Stein continued to pat the thestrals as more and more arrived to get at the food Hagrid had brought them. Activating his soul perception and expanding it's range, Stein looked out into the forest. It was practically teeming with all sorts of interesting souls! Souls of colours and shapes he hadn't seen before. Each donating some new or strange creature he'd yet to encounter.

He felt his excitement rise, his adrenalin pump and his heart start to beat faster. Trembling, he gave his screw a good couple of turns to calm himself. It wouldn't do to get too excited and freak out Hagrid. The man seemed an excellent source of information.

"Well that's all fer tonight," Hagrid rumbled, blowing Stein out of his reverie. "It'd be best if we start headin' back 'fore it gets dark."

The two quickly made their way out of the forest and back to Hagrid's modest shack. Stein thanked the man for the pleasant trip.

"It was no trouble," Hagrid said, "I'm jus' happy there's others out there who 'preciate magical creatures."

Stein grinned, "Well that's certainly me." With that he waved goodbye to Hagrid and made his way back into the castle.

* * *

><p>It was that very same night, when the moon hung low in the sky, that Stein decided to go back. With a speed that most humans could only dream of achieving, Stein made his way back towards the forest.<p>

His madness was insatiable. This new environment had nearly caused him to breakdown. Barely a minute would go by before he would idly consider taking a student apart to find out how they worked. It was a real shame that all the Witches he'd fought had to be killed by Death's orders. He'd always wanted to properly dissect them, and Spirit would never let him!

Making sure the lights in Hagrid's hut were out and after confirming the presence of Hagrid's slumbering brown soul, that Stein made his way into the forest. Hagrid had said that the Hippogriffs and Thestrals belonged to the school so he couldn't rip them apart. His scan earlier had revealed all sorts of interesting creatures however, so he had no end of test subjects with which to experiment. The thought of spending the night in the forest, ripping apart and studying everything he came across, made Stein feel giddy.

Coming to Hogwarts was probably one of the best decisions he'd ever made. He'd still be sitting at home otherwise.

Stepping over a large tree-root, Stein couldn't hep but appreciate the difference of walking through the forest at night as opposed to the day. The moonlight created long and twisting shadows. That coupled with the whisper of the wind through the trees and creaking of nearby branches and any normal person would be scared out of their wits.

Stein was not a normal person. He walked through the deadly forest with a calm confidence. Safe in the knowledge that he was the most dangerous thing stalking the woods tonight. He grinned. Tonight would be fun.

He walked deeper and deeper into the forest. There was a scuttling noise that had been following him for the past few minutes. Stein pretended he hadn't heard anything. It made things more fun that way. The scuttling noise grew louder. It spread to all around him.

Crunch! Stein coolly observed the heel of his shoe. He had trodden on a few spiders. Quite a few spiders in fact. On closer examination, there were quite a few spiders on the ground all around him.

He stood there calmly and activated his soul perception. He was surrounded by strange souls he'd never seen before. Interesting. They were uncommonly large, indicating that whatever they were, they were larger than humans. And they were hungry...

There was a clicking noise then two large hairy limbs wrapped around Stein's torso, pinning his arms to his sides, and lifted him into the air. The whole forest was suddenly a flurry of motion as Stein was carried through the forest towards an unknown destination.

'Giant spiders?' Stein recognised, surveying his 'captors' with a cold scientific interest, 'No. Acromantula!' He'd read up about them. They were practically giant carnivorous spiders that ate humans and could speak as well. They were also venomous so he'd have to be careful.

The spiders took him down a steep slope and into a large dome made out of web. The spiders all gathered round and clicked their pincers together excitedly. The noise was deafening. Suddenly the spider released him and Stein fell onto the ground utterly surrounded by the acromantula.

The one that had held him suddenly spoke, "Aragog! Aragog!" It called, each word perpetuated with fascinating clicking noises.

Then, from a large webbed-up hole in the ground in front of him, emerged the most beautiful specimen of them all. It was the size of an elephant and moved much more slowly than the others. Stein immediately took note of it's eight milky eyes. This creature was blind.

"What is it?" he asked, staring at nothing.

"We caught a man!" The other spiders all clicked excitedly. Stein didn't bother turning his screw, they'd all be dead soon anyway.

"Is it Hagrid?" Aragog asked, a note of hope in his voice.

Wait. What?

Stein couldn't describe the disappointment that ran through him at that. Hagrid knew these creatures? Then he couldn't dissect them without consequence. He sighed, it was a real shame.

"No. A stranger-"

"You know Hagrid?" Stein asked calmly, interrupting the spider. The other spiders made to move towards him, but Aragog gave a loud clicking noise and they backed off.

"Yes. He raised me from the moment I hatched." Aragog said matter-of-factly.

"What are you doing out here in this Forest?" Stein asked, "Isn't your natural home in rainforests far south?"

"Hagrid brought me here after he was expelled. I was raised in the castle," Aragog explained, "I have never heard of these 'rainforests' you speak of. This is my home. It will always be my home."

Stein raised an eyebrow, "Why was Hagrid expelled?"

Aragog made a rattling noise, as if trying to contain a great anger. "It was thought that he opened the Chamber of Secrets! That he unleashed the monster that dwells within! Lies!" He clicked his pincers together and all the other spiders joined in. It was like an unholy applause.

"When I was blamed for the death of a girl, he protected me! Brought me here! And even found me a wife. All of this is because of the goodness in Hagrid's heart!" Stein looked around at the webbing. If he squinted, vague shapes could be made out. Of certain creatures he'd never seen, and even a few he had seen before but could barely make out.

Stein had read somewhere that most arachnids killed or paralysed their prey, then wrapped them up in webbing and squirted digestive juices over them. They would then come back later and drink the resulting mess to gain nutrients.

It was absolutely fascinating! He'd love to be able to see it! Find out how their bodies worked. Make incisions around the pharynx to find out how they eat their prey. Did they do what normal spiders do? Or did they eat them like other animals? These ones must have vocal chords and possibly a mouth to go with them. If he sliced open their faces what would he find?!

Stein bit his lip to hide his grin. He couldn't. He held himself back. Hagrid would realise and things would be bad.

"S-so," Stein spoke, trying to keep his mind off of the acromantula. "What did kill the girl and cause Hagrid to be expelled?"

"We dare not speak it's name! It is an enemy we spiders hate and fear above all others! I never even told Hagrid the name of that dreaded creature, no matter how many times he asked."

"It wasn't a Cerberus was it? There's one in the school right now and I haven't seen any other monsters."

"A Cerberus!?" Aragog clicked his pincers as if in laughter, "No! What I spoke of is far, far worse than a mere mutt."

The spiders were beginning to close in on Stein. Their souls were ravenous, it was only a matter of time before they decided to attack. Stein had to consciously keep his left leg still. It was bouncing against the ground in excitement.

"Well it was a pleasure chatting with you Aragog," Stein began, his right arm gripping his lab-coat very firmly. "I had best be going then..."

"Go? I think not..." Stein froze.

Oh goody!

"My children do not harm Hagrid on my command, but I cannot deny them fresh meat when it wanders so willingly into our midst. Goodbye. It was a pleasure chatting with you as well." Aragog retreated back into his den as a wall of acromantula enclosed around Stein.

Seeing there was no way out Stein gave up. He let his arms drop and closed his eyes...

And let his madness burst forth.

The forest was suddenly alight with the sound of insane laughter and the screams of spiders.

There was a crash of lightning. Two spiders utterly vanished as their souls and bodies were disintegrated.

Another one had it's legs ripped off. Another one had it's brain smashed. Another one had its heart ripped out.

Stein laughed and laughed and laughed. There was no end. Truly today was a glorious day! Perhaps it was his birthday? Or Christmas? Or Easter?

A few more presents rushed towards him. So eager to be unwrapped and played with.

_...where did the forest go?_

It didn't help.

There was nothing they could do.

Nothing anyone could do.

_...what was he doing?_

He danced among them effortlessly as they were opened up, one by one.

It was as inevitable as the leaves falling off of the trees.

He opened one up to see what was inside.

How fascinating! How wonderful! How fun!

He lifted it out and danced with it.

Amazing! Wonderful!

He opened up another.

_...where was he?_

What a surprise! He never knew that! What happened if he twisted this? Or moved this over here? If he removed this and replaced it with this?

He could play like this all day!

Always be tidy, he reminded himself amidst his glee.

Put the wrappings over there in a nice pile.

Time to open another!

There was no end to the enjoyment! The ecstasy!

Always another, always more!

_...I was too weak..._

But such a mess! Piles of wrapping and ribbons and confetti everywhere!

He was out of presents to open. He was out of toys to play with.

Oh wait, no silly him. There was a big one right here! How had he missed that?

He laughed at his silliness as he grabbed the biggest one yet.

_...Spirit would be ashamed..._

He opened it up...

* * *

><p>"Ha..ha-ha...ha..ha...ha," Stein's throat was hoarse. He coughed a couple of times, breathing heavily. Giving his screw a couple of turns his mind was brought back into focus. He wiped his face. It was covered in some dark red fluid, as was the rest of him.<p>

He was utterly bathed in it. His lab-coat was now a dark blackish-reddish colour and his trousers and shoes were the same.

Stein looked around. He was standing atop a large pile of dead spiders that he could just about make out in the gloom of the night. The forest was silent. Almost eerily so.

He hopped down off of the pile and stood back in the centre of the dome. He felt good. Tired, but good.

He should be ashamed of himself.

He should be, but he wasn't.

It was with a tired sort of acceptance that Stein came to terms with the fact he'd just massacred an entire clan of acromantula. He also accepted that Hagrid, if he found out who did this, would try and rip him apart. Just another problem he would have to deal with.

Stein wearily activated his soul perception and began his trek back towards Hogwarts. He had stayed out for longer than he'd planned. He must have lost track of time. Bringing a hand to his aching head, Stein checked himself for injuries. As the adrenaline wore off, he became aware of a few aches and pains, but nothing else.

He hadn't been bitten, which was good. He was covered in blood and venom however. It was a good thing acromantula venom didn't seep through skin or he'd be in a lot of trouble. Rather resigned, Stein checked Hagrid was still asleep, before running up to the castle.

Soul perception was such a useful ability, Stein recognised as he made his way back into his room. Had anyone seen him as he was, covered in blood and who-knows-what, he'd probably cause a panic.

'Huh?' He just picked up two souls that had just left his room and were running away. He picked up the pace. Quickly arriving at his door, there was no trace that anyone else had been here at all. Stein opened the door and entered the classroom, there was nothing here. No traps or anything.

Opening the door to his quarters, Stein did a quick inventory check. Everything was where it was when he left. Weird. Who would come into his room just to do nothing? And how did they know he wouldn't be there?

Too tired to think much about it now, Stein stripped off and stepped into the shower. He washed off the all the gunk that was in his hair and had gotten on his skin. He made extra sure to get rid of everything under his fingernails. That was always tricky.

With that taken care of, it was time for bed. He collapsed into the covers and closed his eyes. It was only as he was drifting off that it occurred to him that he was going to have to wear his robes tomorrow.

* * *

><p>He only attracted a few questioning glances in the Great Hall at breakfast the next day. He wasn't very well-known amongst the students, he only taught muggle studies after all. He did turn a few heads at the staff table however. Stein had ben going around in his usual lab-coat for the past month and a half, the sudden change to his robes was rather surprising for quite a few people.<p>

Stein had managed, after a rather panicked few minutes, to find a house-elf willing to wash his lab-coat for him. It didn't even question his cover story about helping out Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest. He had always found that the best lies had an element of truth in them.

As Stein sat down at the table and began to eat his breakfast and chatted some more with Septima, he couldn't help but feel a little worried. It would be impossible for Hagrid to prove that it was him who killed his pet acromantula. If the man even suspected Stein in the first place. He had done his very best to appear non-threatening and friendly, an act that would hopefully pay off when Hagrid finds out Aragog is dead. Until then he'd continue to act like the normal, eager teacher he pretended to be.

What did worry Stein was the mystery of who had snuck into his room last night. He had sensed two souls quickly depart from his room and run away in the opposite direction. If he hadn't been so tired he would have pursued and caught up with them. The strange thing was that nothing appeared to be missing or tampered with. Everything was exactly how he left it.

What was the purpose of breaking into his room? What were they looking for? Who was it that did it?

Stein lit a cigarette and let out a deep sigh. Smoking was allowed in the Great Hall to his surprise. Muggle schools tended to be rather strict about not letting teachers be seen indulging in bad habits in front of the students. Or so he'd heard.

It was when he took a second drag on his cigarette that Stein was suddenly enveloped in bright blue smoke. Tensing up, ready for battle, Stein cleared it away by adjusting his wavelength. Suddenly he was aware of the snickers as well as full-blown laughter coming from the rest of the hall. His robes, instead of black with white trim, were now a set of bright red and gold stripes.

Well that explained it then. Stein relaxed and settled his gaze towards the Weasely twins, who were looking far too smug for their own good. They must have practised with the Slytherin's clothes just to get back at him.

He felt honoured.

Really it showed that you should never let your guard down. Perhaps if he had checked his clothes more thoroughly he would have noticed. It was a stroke of luck he'd been wearing his lab-coat when he went into the forest though. If they'd tampered with that, then well...

...he'd dissect them on the spot, mission be damned.

His colleagues all gave him amused or pitied looks, most of which he ignored. The only serious-looking one was Dumbledore, which was odd. Stein had pegged him for the easy-going type. The scientist calmly went back to his meal, Septima trying to restart the conversation in-between her giggles. Very aware of the headmaster's blue eyes watching him carefully as he ate.

* * *

><p>Ignoring that little incident the rest of the month passed without notable event. Fred and George were oddly well-behaved in class, but their smug grins let him know who they thought was victorious. They seemed to have realised they weren't going to sneak anything past him while he was there. Instead they had taken to traps and pranks set-up for him in advance instead.<p>

It was quite astonishing really, the amount of effort they put into these pranks. If they put half the amount of work into their studies they could have passed their OWL's by now. They hadn't actually managed to catch him since the robe incident in the Great Hall. And Stein hadn't been able to catch them in the act, so he couldn't punish them. It was an interesting game. One that managed to somewhat stifle the boredom that had set in.

He kept himself in shape. Whenever he had time he'd exercise in his quarters, practice his katas, channel his soul wavelength. He needed to be in fighting shape at any moment in case he was discovered. In-between exercising and marking his students work, Stein would study the Wizarding world in great detail.

Madam Pince, the librarian, would often find him in the library amidst a large pile of books; committing great chunks of text to memory. He explained to her that since Hogwarts' library was so large and prestigious he needed to learn as much as he could. That seemed to satiate her, at least as much as any librarian could be satiated anyway.

She had still warned him sternly against mistreating her books and that they were all to go back into their proper places afterwards. This was a trait shared by all librarians, the Madness of Order. Stein was very careful to put them all back where they belonged.

For all the subjects he studied the ones that were least helpful were the defence books. While Stein could recite the theory, mimic the wand movements, understand the laws and memorise the words, he couldn't actually perform the spells himself. Without seeing a Wizard in practice, how would he ever be able to truly know what they were capable of?

It wasn't until Halloween that he found the answer.

In Death City, Halloween was an important holiday. It was the night Shibusen was founded and therefore a cause to celebrate. Even as he thought this, the students and staff back in Shibusen were probably dancing and drinking the night away. The Wizarding world also seemed to hold the holiday in high regard, although for rather different reasons.

It was today, eleven years ago, that the War against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named ended and that was cause enough for celebration. According to one book Stein read, if Halloween hadn't already been such an ancient and revered holiday they would have named it 'Harry Potter Day', or something like that instead.

The Great Hall certainly looked the part. The huge pumpkins Hagrid had been growing were turned into Jack-O-Lanterns and floated where the candles used to be, casting amusing shadows on the walls.

Many of the remaining pumpkins had been turned into all sorts of pumpkin-based dishes. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup and pumpkin pasties, just to name a few, littered the tables. It was indeed a great feast and many of the students looked forward to it.

While Stein was eating, Filius leaned over to him.

"How're you doing there Stein?"

"Pretty well. The food is, as always, fantastic."

"Good to hear, good to hear," Filius said, he seemed to have had a few drinks. "You know you were complaining about having so much free time to yourself?"

"Yes," Stein responded cautiously. He tried not to touch alcohol when he could help it. Unless it was to mess with people of course.

"Well, Quirinus and I were talking about starting up the duelling club next year. It's a fun way for students to learn more about the practical applications of magic you understand? Not to mention it is jolly good fun!" Filius seemed almost wistful as he said that. "But since you have so much time, we could possibly arrange to start it up again this year instead. With three teachers it's certainly possible! So what do you think?"

"Hmm," Stein thought about it. He would be able to learn more about how these people fought, which would definitely be a bonus. On the downside he would be expected to teach and he couldn't actually perform any magic.

Filius patted him on the back, well as high as he could reach anyway. "Don't worry," he said kindly. "Spend some time thinking about it, there's no rush. Just let Quirinus know as soon as you can- oh look, here he comes now!"

The hall doors had burst open as Quirrel came running in, "TROLL!" he cried out as heads began to turn. He reached Dumbledore's chair his face a mask of terror,

"Troll-" he gasped, "-in the dungeons- thought you ought to know." He then collapsed onto the floor into a dead faint.

There was utter silence for a moment, before the hall erupted into pandemonium. Students screamed as many began to stand and leave their seats.

There was an almighty Bang! Albus Dumbledore rose from his seat, his wand held aloft, for once looking exactly like the legendary wizard he truly was.

"Remain calm," he ordered, sweeping his eyes across the room. "Prefects, please lead your houses back to their dormitories immediately. Faculty, please follow me." He affixed the word please, but no-one was foolish enough to believe it was a request. As one the teachers all rose as Dumbledore lead them onwards, like a general leading an army.

Except for a few however.

As the Great Hall emptied, Stein knelt down next to the crumpled form of Quirrel. As much as he'd love to face a troll right now, he was more interested in getting a good look at this man's odd soul close-up. Fascinating. He was still awake for one thing. Why was he pretending to have fainted then? Before Stein could look any further, the man's eyes opened.

"Not quite as scared as you wanted people to believe?" Stein asked, causing the man to start and stare at him.

"How did you-Why are you still here?" he demanded before he could stop himself.

Stein grinned at him, "Why aren't you stuttering?"

They stared at one another, silently judging. It was clear to Stein that this man was inconsequential. It was the fragment that was bound to him that was interesting. It gave him power, strength and cunning. Even now it was manipulating the man's mind, letting him think what it wanted him too. How powerful must the original have been that it could overwhelm this man so easily?

Quirrel's magic was moving; he was ready to retaliate. Probably with some memory charm, or a deadly curse. Stein almost scoffed.

The man's wand flew out of his hand before he could even comprehend it. Then Stein leered over him, letting the merest of his power course through both souls. They trembled.

He grinned, "I'll wish you gentlemen good luck then." Quirrel froze, and with that Stein stood up and walked away out of the Great Hall unmolested.

Activating his soul perception he quickly searched for the troll. Instead of being down in the dungeons, he instead registered a strange soul on the very floor he was on. Looking carefully, he could identify a few other souls near it. Picking up the pace, Stein ran towards it.

In less than a minute he stood outside the girls bathroom, a roaring noise coming from inside. He kicked the door open and entered.

The troll had to be at least twelve foot tall and wielded a large club the size of a man. Stein almost smiled when he saw who were confronting it. Three of the four students who'd had the pleasure of meeting Fluffy, now fought desperately against this troll.

Potter had jumped onto the creature's back and it desperately shook itself in an attempt to dislodge it. The Weasley stood on the ground next to the cowering Hermione, throwing bits of debris from the smashed toilet stalls at the troll.

None of them had noticed him enter, what with the chaos of dealing with the troll. Stein was about to interfere before something made him stop. These children had managed to avoid being eaten by Fluffy. Maybe they'd be able to deal with a troll. If not, he could easily rescue them.

Stein settled back to watch how the eleven-year olds would deal with their opponent. What an interesting experiment!

A troll would be a formidable opponent for most students to deal with. They were naturally resistant to magic, and possessed some magic of their own, although it wasn't well documented. He wondered how they would cope.

So far it was disappointing. When he jumped on, Potter had managed to shove his wand deep up it's nose. A single spell would end the entire fight, bypassing any resistance the troll had and give it brain damage. Before Potter could realise this the troll had grabbed him and dangled him upside down over the floor.

It raised it's other arm, the one holding the club. Stein got ready to jump in.

"_Wingardium Leviosa_!" The Weasley roared, pointing his wand. Stein saw the spell hit the club and yank into the air. The troll stared stupidly up at it's club floating right above it. With a flick of his wand, Weasley let the spell go and the club smacked right into the troll's skull.

It dropped Potter, who seemed no worse for wear, and fell with a sickening crack onto it's face.

The three students gathered round it,

"Is it -dead?" Hermione Granger asked, looking terrified.

Potter shook his head, "No, I think it's just knocked out."

A loud clapping sound suddenly drew attention away from the slumbering troll.

Stein slowly clapped as he walked towards them, "Very impressive. It's not often you see three first years knock-out a fully grown mountain troll."

He watched as, like before, the three huddled together a little. Potter even made calculated glances towards his wand, as if judging if he could reach it.

Stein smiled and stopped where he was. It was good to know he scared them that much.

Potter then spoke up, "How long have you been there?!" he demanded rather rudely.

"Since you jumped onto the troll's back. It appears that in all the excitement you must have missed it," Stein replied with a calm air. "It was a good move on your part by the way. If you had managed to cast a spell you could have ended the fight right then. Most of the magical resistance in trolls is because of their skin. Shoving your wand up it's nose was a clever way to get past that," he put his hand on the troll as he lectured.

The three of them still stared at him like he was some sort of pre-kishin. Neither the Weasley nor the Granger girl had lowered their wands.

"Relax," he spoke, fixing them with an easy-going smile. "You three did very well. Although -I wonder what it was that made you pursue a mountain troll," he fixed them with a cool stare.

'And why it's up here instead of in the dungeons,' Stein thought to himself, putting some puzzle pieces together in his mind.

Lowering her wand, Hermione spoke first. "It was my fault Professor. I went looking for the troll because I-I thought I could deal with it on my own - I've read all about them."

Weasley dropped his wand in shock, briefly drawing Stein's attention.

"You went looking for the troll?" Stein questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Hermione spoke.

"The troll that Quirrel said was in the dungeons; you went looking for in the bathroom?" his tone made it clear what he thought of that excuse.

"Y-yes," she squeaked unsure.

It was such an obvious lie it was painful. Stein almost pitied her. He took in her dishevelled appearance as well as her red eyes. It was clear that wasn't what happened here. Before he could say anything else there were footsteps and the door behind him was thrown open.

The other teachers entered. McGonagall, followed by Snape and then finally Quirrel. Quirrel took one look at the troll, let out a whimper, and sat on the toilet stall in a daze.

'Way to over-act,' Stein couldn't help but think as McGonagall surveyed the room with her usual hawk-like gaze. Snape bent over to examine the troll

"What on earth happened here?" she asked, her voice alight with a cold fury and more than a tinge of relief.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak but Stein cut her off.

"I arrived just in time to see these three knock out this troll with it's own club," he explained in his usual monotone. "Miss Granger explained to me that she was in the bathroom when the troll arrived. Had it not been for these two-" he gestured towards Potter and Weasley, "-she'd probably be dead."

McGonagall looked towards the students as if to confirm the story. They remained silent, as young children often did in these situations.

"Well then," she drew herself up and addressed the two boys. "You two were extraordinarily lucky. I'll offer five points to Gryffindor each for this happy accident. Professor Dumbledore will have to be informed of this. Now off to bed with the three of you."

The three nodded and ran past the teachers, presumably back towards their common room, leaving just the troll and the teachers in the room.

Instantly Minerva rounded on him.

"How was it you managed to arrive just in time to see the troll be beaten, but not in time to help them?" she interrogated, her anger almost palpable.

"I stayed behind in the Great Hall to make sure Quirinus was alright. After confirming he wasn't injured I left and began to make my way to the dungeons when I heard a scream," Stein told her this without emotion. "When I arrived the troll had grabbed Potter and was about to crush him. But then Weasley performed a stunning levitation charm and knocked the troll out with its own club. There was no time for me to act, what with the troll having Potter in it's hand."

Minerva studied him intently for a moment before some of the tension left her body. She put her hand over her face and sighed. "It was that close..." she breathed relieved. Like many teachers, Minerva treated other teachers differently to how she treated her students.

Underneath what her students saw as a strict, formidable witch, she was very kind and cared deeply for them. The idea of three first years, let alone such a famous one, being killed within a couple of months of entering Hogwarts was frightening.

"Albus will have to be informed. Anything Severus?"

"No sign of Dark Magic on the troll," the potions master drawled, looking at the both of them. "It appears to have just wondered in of it's own volition."

"But that's impossible," Minerva said matter-of-factly. "The wards should have prevented this creature from getting within sight of the castle, let alone inside!"

"What I want to know is how it managed to get from the Dungeons into this bathroom," Stein pointed out. "Quirinus?" The turbaned man started as Stein looked at him. "Any ideas?"

"W-w-well, I can't imagine h-how a t-t-t-troll would get past any w-wards. They a-aren't exactly s-s-smart."

"I was led to believe that you have had extensive experience in dealing with trolls," Snape said coldly. Stein could see some light going off in the man's mind. "How was it that you failed to deal with your speciality when three first years, each with less than two months of magical tuition, were able to succeed?"

The man quailed at Snape's cold fury, "I-I-I di-di-didn't th-think-"

"Leave him alone Severus," Minerva scolded. "We haven't got time to point wands at one another. I will go inform the headmaster of what has occurred. Severus, can you double check the wards to ensure they are all in working order?" The man gave a nod, and with a quick glance at Quirrel, was off.

"Quirinus? Can you dispose of the troll?" There was a hint of desperation in her tone. As if she was unsure if he would be able to do even that. "Get rid of it as soon as you can; we don't want any students catching sight of it."

"Of c-course, Minerva," Quirrel waved his wand and wordlessly levitated the troll into the air.

"Stein, please come with me. You'll need to speak with Dumbledore as well." Stein nodded and the two left for the headmaster's office.

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><p><strong>AN: So what did you guys think? Let me know what worked for you guys and what didn't. I love to read your reviews.**

**Hope you enjoyed reading.**

**Anyone who reads my other story will know that I can't update next week due to personal reasons. I'll try to update this story when I next get the chance. Sorry for the inconvenience!**

**Massive thanks to everyone for their support!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Here we are! Sorry for the late update! I haven't had as much time as I'd have liked to write this chapter. Regardless, I hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater or Harry Potter**

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><p><strong>Training<strong>

Stein soon found himself, along with Minerva, in front of a large gargoyle statue. It was with some trepidation that he would have to face the headmaster. While Stein didn't fear the man, he was the one most likely to realise that Stein wasn't a real wizard. That alone gave him enough reason to be wary of the headmaster. Not too long ago he'd read a book which featured a passage about legilimency; the art of reading minds. Stein had felt a cold chill when he learnt that Dumbledore was an accomplished legilimens and could, in theory read his mind.

The scientist was pretty sure that he hadn't yet done this. For one thing, he was still teaching at Hogwarts. Anyone who'd been inside his head wouldn't want him anywhere near impressionable children, or near any other normal human being for that matter.

Stein had also not been accosted or interrogated for information regarding Shibusen. The book had mentioned that mind-reading isn't easy. It's not the kind of thing that can be done casually. A sufficiently strong-willed individual could quite easily repel most attempts to penetrate their minds. This was called Occlumency. Just in case his will-power wasn't up to scratch, or that magic somehow played a part in repelling mental assaults, Stein had read up on Occlumency techniques and had practised them often. Dumbledore certainly wouldn't be able to read his mind without Stein noticing... hopefully.

"Crunchy Frog," Minerva said loudly to the gargoyle. At the password the stone gargoyle leapt aside, revealing a curved stair case going up. He followed Minerva up the staircase and to a large set of doors, upon which she knocked.

"Please, come in," Dumbledore called from inside his office. Minerva pushed open the doors and Stein followed her into the room.

It was full of all sorts of magical objects, some of which Stein could name and others he couldn't. Books of varying colours and sizes lined the walls, all presumably part of the ancient wizard's collection. If to wizard's; knowledge was power, than it was no wonder Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard in the world.

"Ah Minerva, Stein. Please have a seat," he gestured towards two chairs that had most certainly not been there a few seconds ago. The two sat down as Dumbledore sat down at his desk. He picked up a bowl of sweets. "Sherbet Lemon?" he offered.

"No thank you," Minerva responded slightly strained. Stein also shook his head. It was clear the woman respected the headmaster, but didn't think much of his oddities.

Sighing, Dumbledore put the bowl away and interlocked his fingers to look at them both.

"Well then, I take it the troll was dealt with?"

"Yes, Albus," Minerva responded,

"Ah good. And no-one was hurt?" Stein's eyes narrowed. Dumbledore's soul was unwaveringly calm. He knew that no-one had been hurt, otherwise he'd be more stressed.

"No, no one was hurt. The troll was defeated, surprisingly, by three first-years," Stein interjected before Minerva could respond.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with interest as he surveyed Stein through his half-moon spectacles.

"Oh? And how was it that three first-years managed to confront a troll?" He looked at both of them.

"Apparently the troll managed to wander out of the dungeons and into the first floor girl's bathroom," Stein explained. "Miss Granger happened to be in there, for whatever reason, and then Weasley and Potter managed to rescue her."

Those three would most likely become good friends after this. Stein had seen this sort of thing happen many times at Shibusen. Put students against a danger they cannot win against alone and they'd either die or have their friendship forged in the fires of adversity. Or they'd fall apart later, it varied.

"From what I saw; Potter distracted the troll while Weasley used a levitation charm and knocked it out with it's own club," Stein described in his usual drawl. "Rather impressive if you ask me."

Dumbledore looked at him. "You saw this?" he clarified. Stein nodded. "But you did nothing to help them?"

"By the time I arrived, Potter was already in the troll's grip. If I had done anything he might have died," Stein lied to the headmaster's face.

For one terrifying moment he thought he could feel a sensation rather akin to a light brushing across his forehead as Dumbledore studied him intently. Stein gazed coolly back at him, remembering what he read about Occlumency.

All was quiet for a moment, before Dumbledore smiled and leaned back into his chair. "Well that's alright then. Now, how did a troll manage to get into the castle?" He turned to Minerva as he asked this.

"We don't know yet. Severus is checking the wards for any signs of dark magic as we speak. Although, in my opinion, I would recommend that you do your own investigation into the matter."

Stein got the impression she didn't trust the Potions Master as much as she seemed too.

Dumbledore, seeming to get the same impression, held up a hand. "Severus can't have affected the wards, Minerva," he said this patiently, as if talking to a child. "Especially without my knowing. I was with him for most of the evening and I would have noticed such a thing occurring."

"Then why is it that he disappeared when we went to confront the troll in the dungeons?" Minerva questioned angrily. "What other reason could he have other than to steal the-" she cut herself off, remembering Stein was still in the room.

So she thought Snape was going to try and steal whatever that dog was guarding? That at least confirmed that it was guarding something important, something valuable. How interesting. Now that he thought about it, Snape had been limping somewhat when he turned up with Minerva and Quirinus.

"Minerva, you and Snape both know that it hasn't even been placed there yet. What could he possibly have to gain by going there?"

"Perhaps he was trying to head someone off?" Stein suggested, reaching into his lab-coat to pull out a cigarette. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all," Dumbledore responded as Stein lit his cigarette. "And who would Severus be trying to head off?" the headmaster enquired.

'Quirrel,' Stein thought to himself. 'But I bet you already suspect him, don't you? Some of the others mentioned how different he was after disappearing for a while. And he has a fragment of a once powerful soul hidden within him. What's your game Dumbledore?'

The man clearly had some sort of plan. He knew more than he let on. Why this deception was necessary Stein didn't know. Lord Death was usually very open and honest with his staff, but even he knew when it was best that certain people remain in the dark.

The fact that Stein was the most powerful meister to have ever graduated from Shibusen was no small feat. Shibusen had remained open for eight hundred years, and according to Lord Death he topped every single meister that had been produced in that time. It was because of that distinction that Lord Death had seen him fit to know about Asura and the other Great Old Ones. Only he, Spirit and a couple of the more experienced Death Scythes truly knew everything. Spirit wasn't even allowed to tell Kami what he knew!

It was interesting seeing the parallels between Lord Death and this man. They were both commanders. Used to having to send people - people they cared about - to their deaths. It could be difficult to get out of that mind-set and this man seems to believe that he was still in a war of some sort. From what Stein had seen, he may be right. The fight against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named probably wasn't over yet.

"Whoever wants to steal whatever it is you're guarding," Stein answered simply, exhaling smoke.

Unbeknownst to him, the smoke very briefly took the form of a skull, before dissipating into aimless wisps of smoke. Minerva narrowed her eyes in disapproval, eyeing his cigarette with distaste. Stein was suddenly very glad he wasn't a student.

Dumbledore just looked at him, as if silently judging him. It was just like the interview all over again. Stein looked back. Yellow eyes met blue for a few moments before Dumbledore smiled.

"Well then, that clears up a few things. You two had best head straight to bed, it's been a long day. Oh and Minerva, please inform the students that lessons will continue tomorrow as normal," he ordered, his blue eyes alight with mirth.

"Of course Albus,"

"Well goodnight then," the headmaster said happily, watching as they left the room. As Stein and Minerva left his office, he leant back into his soft, comfortable chair and chewed a Sherbet Lemon thoughtfully.

"Well Garrick," he muttered. "You may have been right..."

* * *

><p>Following Halloween, nothing much interesting happened. Stein continued to give lessons while the students continued to learn. Weeks rolled by and soon it was the Christmas Holidays. The castle began to empty as many students and teachers went home for the Christmas break. There were no lessons or other obligations so Stein soon found himself in front of the mirror, giving his report to Lord Death rather early.<p>

"Well that is fascinating," Death agreed. As usual, the god's dark figure took up most of the mirror. "So there's definitely something hidden in the school. And they haven't even told the staff?"

"Some of the staff, I'd imagine," Stein corrected. He was back in his lab-coat, the dark stains from the spiders having been washed out. "Minerva certainly knows what's being held there, as does Severus Snape. The students, of course, have no clue."

Death seemed to think, "Hmm. Things seem to be fitting together. You mentioned that squirrel-?"

"Quirrel," Stein corrected patiently.

"Oh yes, -that Quirrel's soul. That he was being possessed by another fragment. Possibly a fragment from the same soul that has attached to Harry Potter? Hmm, I wonder..."

"Lord Death?"

"I remember this sort of thing," Death said, his oversized hand cupping his non-existent chin in thought. "Some time ago, the Witches would create objects within which to hold parts of their souls."

"Why would they do that?" Stein questioned.

Ripping your soul apart is difficult, but doable. Although what benefits could exist from doing such a thing eluded him. A sound soul existed in a sound mind and a sound body. Tearing apart your soul would have affects on both your mind and your body, as well as weaken your original soul's strength.

"Because, even if their original body was destroyed, as long as the part of their soul within the object still exists they would still be bound to this earth and therefore survive," Death explained gravely. "Survive, but be incredibly weakened. But for Witches, even this would be enough. They could just possess another body for them to take over and feed off of it's soul until they were back to full strength. These objects are called Horcruxes."

Stein mulled the word over in his mind. "If Horcruxes are so effective, why do they no longer use them?" he asked, genuinely interested. Deliberately weakening your soul in order to potentially live forever? He could see many weaker Witches attempting that.

"Many of the more powerful Witches simply don't bother. There are other ways to enhance their already very long lifespan and they aren't willing to lose even a shred of their own power or risk their sanity in order to do so. Not to mention they believe themselves to be virtually un-killable regardless," Death added, irritation in his tone.

"Makes sense. But what about the other Witches? Weaker ones who won't live as long and can be killed more easily?"

"Well they stopped using them because of the advent of the Witch-Hunter," Death answered, a note of great pride in his voice. Stein started,

"What, the resonance technique?"

"Yes. Even after splitting the soul, the pieces are still connected to one another -making a Horcrux would be pointless if they weren't. The Witch-Hunter however negated that advantage. It utterly severs the meagre connection between the soul fragments, permanently. The Witch would pass-on regardless and their soul, the remaining piece that wasn't in their body, could be hunted at our leisure. The soul is not meant to be split-up like that you see," Death lectured as Stein nodded.

"Yes, a sound soul dwells within a sound etcetera," Stein dismissed thinking. "But we wouldn't be able to retrieve their soul though, would we?"

Death shook his head, "No. Making a DeathScythe requires a Witch's whole soul, not merely a fragment. But for these people to know of such a dangerous art is worrying."

"I don't exactly think it's public knowledge," Stein said, placating the god. "None of the books in the Forbidden Section of the library -one of the most extensive in Britain- even mentioned this practice. I've been doing my own research into these matters, and other than a lot of dark magic, there is nothing to do with the splitting of the soul. Even 'Magick Moste Evile' only mentioned it, and gave no further instruction or information. If it had I might have been able to figure it out myself."

Death seemed relieved. "That's good then. Ripping apart the soul isn't healthy and makes one more prone to insanity, as well as other such dangers." Stein nodded, understanding.

"But using a living person as a Horcrux?" he wondered. "Isn't that a bit risky?"

"It is odd, I admit," Death responded, thinking. "I've never really heard of a Witch who used a human as a Horcrux before. They would never entrust part of their soul to something as fickle and transient as a human being. Do those two ever seem, err, off to you?"

Stein shook his head. "Potter seems to be practically like an other kid; although we haven't spoken much so I can't say for certain. Quirinus, on the other hand, is perfectly aware of the other soul living in his body. He's clearly planning something. Most likely something to do with whatever is being hidden in this school."

"And what is that?" Death asked joyfully.

Stein shrugged. "I haven't really been trying to figure it out. I figured the less attention I draw to myself the better."

"Understandable. It's probably something to return the fragment back to life, but that's just theorising. Oh by the way," Death then stated cheerfully. "On a less serious note, do you want to come back to Shibusen for the Christmas Holidays?"

Stein stared wide-eyed, "You're allowing me?"

"Why wouldn't I? The students could always use some extra instruction."

Stein sighed, "I still have quite a lot of research to do, I'm afraid. One of the other instructors managed to get me involved in some kind of 'Duelling Club'. I'll need to do a large amount of research just to stay ahead of the students, let alone the other teachers."

Stein had been planning on making up for his lack of practical magical ability with theoretical knowledge. He would probably come off as a bad teacher, but it was better than coming off as incompetent at magic, or worse a 'muggle'.

Death held up an over-sized hand, "I understand. Don't worry Stein, I'm sure you'll do fine. Children seem to like you."

"...heaven knows why..." a voice off-screen muttered. Death turned around.

"Are you skulking around Spirit? Eavesdropping on my calls?" there was no hint of malice, Death was used to Spirit's childishness, but he held a hint of accusation in his tone.

"Err, no sir! Not at all!" Spirit said, stepping into the frame. He then turned to Stein, "So you're not coming back then?"

"No, I'm rather busy... sorry." he added at the look on Spirit's face. Since when did he _want _to be in Stein's company? Idly, he wondered exactly how much had Spirit changed in the last decade or so. He voiced his concerns and Spirit became rather nervous looking.

"Well, you see my baby girl - Maka, she's just so adorable - want's to talk to you about being a meister," Spirit said nervously. "As you can imagine, Kami isn't too happy about that. I was hoping that if you stayed with us and met her, you two might reach some kind of... heheh... understanding?"

So that's what this was about. Spirit wanted him to smooth things over with his wife, who had a well-known grudge against him. Stein gave his screw a couple of turns,

"I don't think I'll have time-"

"Please!" Spirit actually kneeled down and put his hands together, having fully entered 'pleading mode'. "Please! Maka won't stop talking about you and that makes Kami mad and I'm the one that has to suffer for it! PLEASE!"

A muscle below Stein's eye twitched sharply. He looked at the DeathScythe, lying prostrate on the ground by Death's feet. Did Spirit have no dignity whatsoever?!

He pushed his glasses back up before responding. "Fine, I'll visit for a couple of days, alright?"

"Thank you!" Spirit moved forward as if to embrace him, but collided with the mirror's surface and fell back.

How embarrassing.

"By the way, Spirit," Stein said, as the red-haired man picked himself off the floor. "About Maka's letter."

"Huh? Oh you got a hold of it then? Phew, I thought Justin was yanking my chain when he talked about owls-"

"Spirit!" Stein interrupted. "You can't send confidential information over public channels. What if someone else opened it or someone read it over my shoulder? I'd have a lot of questions I wouldn't be able to answer."

Spirit held up his hands in mock surrender, "Fine, fine. I won't send anymore of my daughter's letters. She'll be heartbroken by the way, and I'm going to have to explain that it's all _your_ fault."

"I think I can live with that," Stein commented. "Your daughter seems rather sensible, must have gotten that from Kami."

"Hey!"

"That's enough Spirit," Death intervened, gently pushing Spirit away from the mirror and out of frame. "Anyway I look forward to seeing you during the holidays Stein."

"You brought him over," Stein said, eyes narrowed.

"I beg your pardon?"

"When I said I wasn't coming you gestured for Spirit to come over didn't you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Death said a little too quickly. "Anyway, enjoy the break! Ta-ta!" And with that he was gone and the mirror went back to being a mirror.

Stein sighed and sat on his bed, staring at nothing in particular. Now he'd have to have a talk with Kami, as well as prepare for whatever wold happen in the 'Duelling club'. He'd already been researching ahead of time about proper Duelling etiquette, common and useful spells, as well as their theory. But if asked to perform any of them he wouldn't be able to.

He reached into his pocket and took out his wand. He stared at it, admiring it's constant wavelength, watching it mingle with his own. Was it his imagination or had it's wavelength shifted slightly? Now it resembled his own wavelength a little bit more. Did the wands adapt to their owners after a certain amount of time? It was fascinating.

He gave his screw a couple more turns to quell the urge to rip his wand apart. He would need it for his cover. But it was such a useless weapon! He couldn't resonate with it since it didn't have a soul, but...

Hold on. Stein narrowed his eyes, studying his wand intently. He pointed his wand at a point in the room and focused his wavelength. He channelled it through the wand, and watched as his wavelength intermingled with that of the wand's. He could feel it. His wand was humming with the power flowing through it. Stein focused the wavelength towards the end of the wand and let it loose.

A yellow light shot out the end of his wand and exploded against the wall, nearly knocking Stein back in surprise.

He blinked, surprised at the destruction the attack had caused. There was a small hole in the wall, where his attack had hit. Not bad for a first try, especially considering that the castle was apparently warded to prevent it from being damaged. What would happen if he tried some other techniques with a wand?

Stein grinned. This opened up all sorts of possibilities! He couldn't actually perform magic, but he could make it look like he did. His grin turned feral. He couldn't wait to start experimenting...

* * *

><p>After informing the headmaster that he'd be absent for a couple of days; Stein stepped through the mirror in his room and back into Death City. He was immediately greeted by Lord Death as well as half of the Shibusen staff.<p>

"Yo, Stein!" Death raised an oversized hand in greetings. Stein returned the gesture, though much less enthusiastically.

Standing next to the Grim Reaper was his son; Death the Kid. He stood up straight, hands down at his sides, in a perfectly symmetrical suit. Stein had never seen a ten year-old who actually liked wearing suits. Even Spirit didn't wear suits when he was ten and that's practically all he seems to wear now.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, Dr Stein," Kid said very politely, as Stein looked down at him. "...piece of asymmetrical trash..." Kid then muttered under his breath, eyeing Stein's screw with distaste.

Stein decided to let that one slide. He didn't feel like beating up children right now. Not in front of Lord Death anyway. It wasn't really the Kid's fault either. He couldn't help being the son of the god of madness through Order. It would be years before Kid gained the sort of control that his father had mastered.

A large, friendly hand clasped on Stein's shoulder and Sid slid up to him. "So how's the mission going Stein? You haven't disembowelled anyone yet have you?"

Stein gave him a smile. "It's tempting sometimes, but no."

'Not yet,' he thought to himself.

Sid smiled. "That's good. Honestly I'm surprised you actually returned for Christmas." He paused at Stein's raised eyebrow. "Well you're not exactly the most sociable guy around. You always focused on the mission first."

"Don't be rude Sid," Nygus chastised. "He's been away for the last few months. You could at least give him some space."

"It's fine," Stein waved away her concerns. "I'll only be here for a couple of days; plus I did bring some books to read when I'm not busy."

"So what exactly have you been up to?" Sid questioned playfully.

"Now, now Sid," Death admonished, waving an oversized finger. "Stein isn't allowed to share any of the details of the mission while he is here."

Sid folded his arms. "So usual infiltration stuff then?"

Stein nodded. "A little less bloody though." He then turned towards Lord Death. "Where is Spirit by the way? Shouldn't he be here?"

"Yes we're waiting on him," Death said, before cocking his head to the side. "In fact, I believe that's him now."

A shrill scream soon became audible to everyone in the room. It gradually grew louder and louder, before Spirit, the DeathScythe himself, sprinted forward and jumped onto the platform. He breathed heavily, hands on his knees for a moment, before uncoiling like a spring and saluting.

"I'm here! I'm here! I'm not late am I?!" he asked panting, looking between Death, Kid and Stein.

"You're just in time Spirit!" Death remarked jovially. "Stein arrived here barely a minute ago, so no worries!"

"Phew!" Spirit wiped the sweat off his forehead before approaching Stein. "Good to see you. You know, Maka hasn't stopped talking about you for the last few weeks." He hooked an arm around Stein's shoulders and began guiding him out of the Death Room, still rambling on about his daughter.

"And I bought her the cutest looking ribbons! Kami put them in Maka's pigtails, she looks just like a little princess!" Spirit gushed happily, while Stein valiantly fought the urge to dissect himself. Or maybe he'd just dissect Spirit. Sure Maka would probably cry, Kami would be upset and Lord Death would probably have him hunted and killed; but as Spirit continued to prattle on and on about his daughter, as if nothing else existed in the world, Stein couldn't help but feel as if it would be worth it.

"She's looking more and more like Kami everyday! I'm pretty sure she gets her attitude from me; nothing bad could come from my beloved wife!"

'Definitely worth it,' Stein thought to himself as he reached into his pocket for his scalpel.

Fortunately for Spirit, at that moment Sid and Nygus managed to catch up with the two of them.

"Hey Spirit, you can't just take Stein like that and leave!" Sid protested, a smile on his face. "Lord Death is really upset, he wants to have a word with you."

Spirit's face paled and gripped his face with his hands. "NO! Lord Death will transfer me!" He shot off like a missile back into the Death Room as Sid, Nygus and Stein continued onwards.

"Thank you," Stein said sincerely, his respect for Sid going up a couple of notches.

"Don't mention it. I always look out for a friend. That's the kind of guy I am," Sid responded, giving him a thumbs-up.

On Stein's other side he heard Nygus sigh. "How very noble of you. You're not just trying to pawn your class off on the poor man, are you Sid?"

The man looked panicked for a moment, before he rubbed the back of his head. "Err, no..."

"What happened to the 'master of infiltration', Sid?" Stein asked. "Are you losing your touch?"

After getting over his shock at Stein, of all people, making a joke, the man laughed. "Wow! Didn't expect that! So how's it going then? What's this about a whole community of Witches that have been living under our noses the entire time?"

"It's not quite like that," Stein said. "They're more like humans who can use magic then actual Witches." He then went on to explain a few more details, such as how it was both men and women who possessed magic and that their society seemed to be rather behind modern times.

"They don't really celebrate Christmas, not as we know it anyway. They actually still celebrate the pagan holiday of Yuletide-"

"HEY!" Spirit came marching up behind them. He grabbed Sid and got right into his face. "You lied! Lord Death didn't want to talk to me at all!" he yelled angrily at Sid, who put up his hands in mock surrender.

"Whoops," he said sheepishly. "I must have misheard-"

"Misheard!? Yeah right! I'll-"

Whilst they started arguing Nygus sighed and turned towards Stein. "So where will you be staying for the next couple of days?"

"Well I do have my own house," Stein reminded her gently. "Although I'll probably be around Spirit's most of the time, if you need to contact me."

Nygus nodded. "We could use all the help we can get at the moment. Medusa and I do our best, but we could always use an extra pair of hands."

Stein nodded, silently reminding himself that she didn't mean it _literally, a_s fun as that would be. Although he could probably find someone around here who didn't need their hands. Or their arms for that matter. It would be silly to just attach an extra pair of hands without thought. But an extra pair of arms, now that was a good idea!

He quickly gave his screw a good couple of turns, he was getting rather ahead of himself. He doubted Nygus would accept it anyway. Some people were just ungrateful like that.

"So Sid," Stein said, attempting to put an end to his and Spirit's pointless argument. "How's the stray you picked up doing?"

Sid paused from holding Spirit in a headlock to think. "Huh? Black*Star? He's doing fine! He's become a real character, friends with Maka I believe. He'll be joining Shibusen soon as well." He smirked. "Although don't think I'll go easy on him. I never give preferential treatment; that's the kind of man I am!" he proclaimed resolutely.

By now they had made their way out of Shibusen and stood at the top of the long stairway that lead down into Death City. Stein stood there, taking in the familiar sight. The gothic architecture stretching out into the distance just like he remembered back when he was a kid. It almost made him feel nostalgic.

Sid clapped him on the back. "Well I wish you luck Stein," he said sincerely, walking away with Nygus "It was good to see you again."

"Try not to dissect Spirit while you're there!" Nygus yelled at him.

Stein watched as Spirit paled. "I-it'll be fine!" Spirit stammered, clearly confident in his ability to repel his former mad-meister.

They soon set off. Spirit started on the way back to his house, Stein walking next to him silently. He surreptitiously looked over at his red-haired friend. How would Spirit react to his little episode in the Forbidden Forest? He had tried not to dwell on it too much, but it still worried Stein a little.

He sighed and reached into his pocket for a cigarette.

"Something bothering you, Stein?" Spirit asked light heartedly.

"As a matter of fact, there is," he admitted, much to Spirit's bewilderment. Stein lit his cigarette then took a deep calming draw on it. "While I was at Hogwarts I," he paused. "I lost control."

"What do you mean?"

"I briefly gave in to my madness," Stein said, looking Spirit in the eye. "It was such a new and fascinating environment, I just... couldn't help myself." He took Spirit's silence as a sign to continue. Stein looked away. "It won't happen again, don't worry."

"Did you kill anyone?"

The question was asked so seriously it almost caught Stein off guard. It was easy to forget that Spirit was the DeathScythe; the current weapon wielded by Death himself. He had earned that rank with blood, sweat and tears. Not to mention the years of having to put up with Stein himself. Looking at the red-haired man now with his narrowed eyes and tense stance, Stein easily remembered that Spirit was no more a goof than he was.

"No. I removed myself from the children and went into a place called the Forbidden Forest. All I killed were Acromantula; giant spiders," he clarified at Spirit's raised eyebrow.

"Oh,"

Silence.

"Well why didn't you say so!"

A hand clapped Stein hard on the back, startling him.

"Jeez, the way you were going on about it I thought you'd eaten someone's baby or something," Spirit laughed. The goof was back.

"Please give me some credit Spirit," Stein replied. "I would never do anything like that."

"Yeah, yeah. I know, I was just jok-"

"I mean, it's not like I'd learn anything interesting from such an activity," Stein said, smiling creepily.

"Y-you're still scary," Spirit said, taking a step or two away from his friend as they continued on over to Spirit's house.

* * *

><p>"I'm home!" Spirit cried out to the seemingly empty house. "And I've brought a friend!"<p>

Stein could sense two other souls in the house. One little soul, presumably belonging to Maka, and a much more powerful one belonging to Kami. At Spirit's shout both were making their way towards the front door. Kami's soul was practically bustling with anger and indignation. She could sense souls just as well as Stein could; she knew who was in her house. The fact that she had enough control over her soul to hide her feelings meant that either she was _so _angry she forgot or, for some reason, she wanted Stein to know that she wasn't overtly fond of him.

Kami had been rather immature last time he talked to her, so it was probably the latter.

The two descended down the stairs, Maka reached the bottom first, ahead of Kami. Stein eyes widened in shock for a moment as she glared at Spirit, before carefully fixing her face into a smile.

"Hi Papa! Hello, Dr Stein," she chirped.

Stein offered a polite nod in her direction. Spirit, well...

"Hey there my sweet little angel!" he cried out in a saccharine tone. He then swooped down and scooped up his daughter into his arms, bringing her in for a tight hug.

Stein sighed. Why was it that what little brain Spirit actually seemed to possess disappeared entirely when it came to his family?

"Hey there dear," Spirit then said, greeting his wife with his most charming smile.

Kami smiled back at him briefly, before turning her attention towards Stein. It really was uncanny the features Maka had inherited from Kami. If it wasn't for certain slight facial features, Stein would think she'd somehow managed to clone herself.

"Hello Stein," she greeted stiffly.

Stein could vaguely remember reading somewhere that most women tended to act sickeningly sweet towards people they intensely disliked; at least when other people were around anyway. Kami wasn't like that at all. If she disliked you, you'd know it; and everyone around her would know it as well. She didn't have much of a grasp on subtlety.

"Hello Kami, nice to see you again," Stein greeted amiably, being polite. "You seem to be doing very well for yourself."

"How nice of you to say; I wish I could say the same."

Ouch.

Even Spirit winced at that, although he tried to pretend he didn't. He was trying to keep his daughter's attention fixed on himself.

Kami sighed, before putting a hand out to shake. "I'm sorry, that was... uncalled for."

Stein stared, wide-eyed. She was apologising?! What had happened to the stubborn teenager that had made Spirit into a DeathScythe?

"It's fine," Stein said quickly, regaining his composure. "I get that sort of thing quite often."

She nodded. "I don't remember you having that screw last time I saw you," she observed, unable to avoid the topic.

Well she was just as tactless as she used to be. Maybe Spirit had convinced her to give him a second chance? It was more than he had expected to be honest. Stein had expected to be driven from the house by an irate Kami, screaming nonsense at him to 'keep away from her family'. This was a pleasant surprise.

"I installed it years ago to... help with my problems," Stein admitted.

"And does it work?" Kami asked, her soul practically straining to hear the answer.

He nodded. "More effectively than any drug."

She stared at him with piercing eyes. Experience taught him that she was scanning his soul as best she could for any sign of deceit. After what felt like a good couple of years she stopped.

"Good."

She turned towards Spirit, who instantly stopped playing with Maka. "Sweetie," her voice suddenly lost it's terrifying hard edge, as she addressed her daughter. Stein idly wondered if Maka knew how strong her mother truly was.

"I believe you wanted to ask Dr Stein something?"

She ushered her daughter forward who looked up at Stein with big curious eyes.

"Dr Stein?" she began succinctly, nervously wringing her dress.

'Where did that habit come from?' Stein wondered. She hadn't had any trouble speaking to him last time he was here.

"I've read up about you in some of Mama's books and," she paused here for some reason. Apparently gathering her courage she looked him directly in the eye and continued. "I was hoping you would train me!"

So she was following up on her request in the letter? He had almost forgotten about that. Were Kami and Spirit alright with this? Alright with leaving _him _alone with their ten year old daughter for hours at a time?

He looked surreptitiously over at the two. Both their souls and their faces were unreadable; clearly they were expecting something from him. Stein sighed. Oh well. If she wanted him to train her, she would have to accept the consequences.

"Why?" he asked, making her blink.

She seemed to shrink under his hard gaze for a moment, before rallying. "Because you're the greatest meister who ever graduated," Stein saw Kami twitch out of the corner of his eye. "You've created two Death Scythes, have discovered previously unknown properties of souls and have invented several new soul resonance techniques -some of which you can perform without a partner! Why wouldn't I want you to train me?" She seemed proud of her little speech, looking up at him, her arms now calmly down by her sides.

Stein quickly examined her soul. It was a little on the small side but she could certainly have future potential. She was hardworking and rather naïve about the world. In short, it could be worse but it could also be better. Maybe a little experiment...

"That's flattering, but that's not what I meant," Stein said. At her confusion he continued. "Why should I train _you_? There are plenty of meisters in Shibusen, some of them are being sent off to fight in life or death fights as I speak to you now. Why should I train you instead of one of them?"

Maka was silent, her bottom lip quivering. For a moment he thought she would cry, before her face took on a determined look. She opened her mouth to speak, but he held up a hand.

"I'm going to be in Death City only for the next couple of days. You will be able to tell me your answer at any time; but I will only take the first one you give. If you're right then I will start training you next summer. If not then well... you won't get another shot so I suggest you think hard on it before answering," Stein said calmly.

Stein turned around and made to leave.

"Hey, wait!" Maka yelled. "Can you at least give me a hint?" she pleaded. She wanted to prove herself, that much was clear.

Stein looked back for a moment. "Very well then. The answer you seek won't lie in any book you read."

He could tell she was crestfallen and a little afraid that her books would be of no use to her for this task.

He then turned to Spirit and Kami. "It was nice seeing you both. Thank you for letting me into your home."

With that he walked out of the front door and made the long trip back to his own home. Once he arrived, Stein set down his suitcase and opened it up. He picked out the book 'Standard Book of Spells Grade Five' and settled down to commit it to memory. He had to prepare as much as he could for the 'duel' club he'd been suckered into doing. And that included practicing what he could do by channelling his soul wavelength through his wand as well as reading up on actual spells.

* * *

><p>It wasn't until the end of the first day that anything noteworthy happened. Stein had just finished giving a guest lecture to the students of the academy and had just exited the building, when he literally bumped into someone.<p>

"Oh, sorry!" the woman said apologetically. She had been carrying a stack of papers and folders and some of them had fallen onto the floor. She quickly bent over to pick them up, her face blushing.

"It's fine," Stein responded, bending over to help.

"Oh no, please! You don't have to, it was my fault!" she insisted, clearly embarrassed. She wouldn't even look at him as he helped.

Stein noticed the white coat and the nametag. He put two and two together.

"Ah, you must be Dr Medusa!" he greeted, handing her one of the papers. "Nygus mentioned you. She said you're a very good doctor." He smiled at her and she looked abashedly at him.

She had gold eyes along with spiky, ashy blonde hair that was set in a braid down the front of her body.

"Y-your stitches... you must be Dr Stein!" she said excitedly. "I-it's an honour to meet you!" she held a hand, causing more pieces of paper to fall much to her embarrassment. She quickly bent back down to pick them up again.

Stein inwardly sighed and once again helped pick up the papers and folders she had dropped. "It's fine, relax. A pleasure to meet you too."

He hadn't seen a reaction to his apparent fame that was this extreme yet. Out of habit, he checked her soul. From what he could see she was utterly normal. A small, light blue soul cheerily stared back at him from the confines of Medusa's chest. She seemed to realise he was staring and blushed heavily.

She had clearly been born in Death City, as she wasn't a weapon or a meister but an ordinary human. One of the many who helped support Death City and allowed it function as the location of Shibusen. It wasn't unusual that they held the students and faculty in high regard; many considered them heroes after all.

"E-excuse me, Dr Stein," her voice seemed only slightly strained. "But my eyes are up here."

Stein had to avoid chuckling. "I'm sorry, I got lost in my thoughts," he said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

As they stood up, he shook her hand properly. "Now if you'll excuse me Dr Medusa, I do have some work to do."

"Of course. It was nice meeting you Dr Stein," she then continued past him without incident.

"And you as well," he said as he continued on.

It was once he'd descended down the steps into Death City that he took out the piece of paper he'd swiped when she'd been distracted by him staring at her chest.

Now why would a normal human doctor be carrying a file that explained the layout of Shibusen's lower levels? From what he'd seen of the other files and folders, they had been strictly medical and therefore confidential. Shibusen took this sort of thing rather seriously. Someone defenceless, like a normal human, shouldn't even be taking medical files out of the building, let alone hiding other files among them.

Of course you'd get in less trouble if caught with medical files if you were a doctor, than if you were caught with those plans.

Dr Stein continued onwards back to his house; incinerating the paper with his soul wavelength. He lit a cigarette and began to smoke, thinking silently to himself.

Clearly there was much more to Dr Medusa than met the eye.

* * *

><p>On the last day, Stein had been practicing with his wand. He could shoot out little yellow blasts of his soul wavelength as well as use something that resembled a lightning bolt. The technique he was most proud of is one that resembled a whip of lightning. Such a thing was only possible because the wand had it's own wavelength. Any ordinary piece of material would either explode or simply not work.<p>

It was after he'd put his wand away that there was a knock on his door. Before he could open it, the door opened up and Spirit walked in.

"Hey Stein, how's it going?" he asked, sitting down on his sofa.

Stein sighed. "Why knock if you're just going to barge in anyway?" He couldn't be bothered to put any real malice into his voice. He was glad to see Spirit.

"It would be rude," Spirit reasoned, only now eyeing the lab equipment in the room worriedly.

"Of course it would," Stein sat down opposite Spirit, observing him coolly. "Is this about Maka?"

Spirit nodded wearily. "She's been going crazy. It's probably a good thing you told her not to check in any books; we wouldn't see her otherwise. She's just like her mother in that regard, she always had her head in a book," he remembered fondly.

"It will be interesting to see the answer she comes up with," Stein said, leaning back into his chair. He raised an eyebrow. "You haven't been helping her have you?"

"No!" Spirit protested. "This is the sort of thing she has to be able to come up with on her own. I can tell Kami wants to help her though -she won't don't worry!" he added hastily at Stein's expression.

"I'll be leaving at the end of today. Make sure she tells me her answer by then."

Spirit nodded. "Don't worry, I will. And if I know my Maka, she'll probably surprise you. She's a very observant person, especially for a ten year old."

"We'll see... Oh, that reminds me, have you seen that new doctor?" Stein asked, leaning forward.

"What, the hot one?" Spirit clarified, thinking to himself. "I think I know who you mean, Dr Medusa, isn't it?" His expression then turned shocked. "Why? Are you... into her?"

Stein gave him a deadpan look. "What on earth made you come to conclusion?"

"Well you've never really wanted to talk with me about women before."

Stein clenched his fists, trying to ignore the urge to strangle his friend before replying. "I'm not asking you talk to me about women, Spirit," he said with as much patience as he could muster. "I'm trying to talk to you about this woman."

"Oh, I got ya," Spirit said in a manner he probably thought was sly. To Stein's utter horror, he then winked. "Just this one's caught your eye, huh?"

'Lord Death give me strength,' Stein thought desperately.

"I caught her with a copy of the plans to Shibusen's lower basement. She had somehow managed to find it and was bringing it in when I caught her."

Spirit's expression grew serious. "That doesn't necessarily mean much. She could have just been fetching it for someone. Or maybe she was just curious as to what's down there. You know how most people see us."

"It's still suspicious," Stein said. "Just... keep an eye on her. I'm not sure if she can be trusted."

"Alright, if you say so," Spirit gave in, before brightening up considerably. "Oh, just so you know, my little Maka did the most adorable thing the other week!" You see she-"

Stein sighed and leant back into his chair, as serious Spirit vanished once again. He leant his head back to stare at the ceiling as Spirit continued to prattle on and on about his daughter.

'What exactly is she planning?' There were large numbers of confiscated artefacts down there, each one dangerous and powerful in their own right. What interest could a doctor have in what's in there?

* * *

><p>He opened the door to the Death room, his suitcase in hand. Hopefully the librarian at Hogwarts won't have noticed the books he'd taken, she had always seemed rather strict about letting books out of sight and Stein didn't want to get on her bad side unnecessarily.<p>

As the podium became visible, Stein became aware that it was more than just Death and Spirit who were waiting there. Maka was there along with Kid as well. The little girl was staring at the blue sky and the crooked graves in clear amazement. Nothing else like the Death Room existed in Death City. Even in the Wizarding World, while places bigger on the inside were common, few actually had an outside, inside a building.

"Dr Stein!" she yelled upon seeing him. She ran excitedly up to him.

"Do you have your answer?" Stein asked.

She was practically buzzing with nervous tension, so that was clearly a yes. She had the beginnings of what looked like dark circles under her eyes and a generally haggard looking expression.

Maka nodded. "I thought about your question a lot, especially the part where you said it wasn't in any book. So I thought that the reason you should train me should be why I want to learn," she summarised.

'Smart girl,' Stein thought, although outwardly his face gave away nothing.

"So I really thought about it and here's my reason," she still looked very nervous, as if wondering if her answer is the one he was seeking. "I want to learn to be a meister just like my mama, but better! That way I can help serve Lord Death and protect the people of the world, even better than she does!"

She stared at him hopefully and checking her soul confirmed her honesty. Stein made an exaggerated gesture of stroking his chin in thought.

"That's an interesting answer, although not the one I was expecting."

Her face fell and her whole body sagged with disappointment. For a moment Stein thought she would cry, but she gave a big sniff and looked him back in the eye and nodded.

"A-alright. I'm sorry I failed, sir," she said rather bravely, although her voice was tinged with anger.

Stein could practically hear her thoughts, it was reflected in her soul. She was ranting at how the question was vague and could mean anything.

"Now hold on," Stein said, making sure there was a tinge of confusion in his voice. "I never said you failed."

"Huh?!" She looked back up at him incredulously. "Bu-but you said..."

"I said that it wasn't the answer 'I was expecting'. To be honest, I thought you'd say something to do with how you're entitled to training since you're the daughter of the DeathScythe. Both answers would gotten the same response."

"Bu-but then, what was the point in the question?!" she almost roared, red in the face. And there was Kami's famous temper.

He patted her affectionately on the head. "To mess with you."

Yep, her face was definitely worth it. She seemed to be like Spirit in that regard. She truly was an amalgamation of both of her parents. For a moment she looked like she would attack him, but Stein cut her off.

"Anyway, well done on your answer. We'll begin your training when I return." He walked past her. She was frozen, unable to move in her shock.

"Y-you mean you'll train me?"

"Of course," he looked back at her and smiled. "I'm looking forward to it."

She seemed to radiate joy at those words. He almost toppled over in shock as she hugged him from behind. "Thank you!" she laughed/cried, Stein couldn't tell. She then ran out of the room whooping happily. "Just you wait Black*Star! Next year I'm gonna kick your ass!" she yelled as she disappeared from view.

'Kids,' Stein thought to himself, utterly lost.

With a sigh, he dragged himself up to the podium, where Lord Death, his son and Spirit waited for him.

"So what do you think?" Spirit asked, curious.

"She's grown in an interesting way," Stein said. "Maka will certainly be something special when she's older."

"That's certainly true," Death interjected. "The child of the DeathScythe and a powerful meister; who knows what surprises we'll find. But not to get off topic, it's time to leave Stein, are you sure we can't persuade you to stay for longer?"

"I've finished the books I brought here. In order to keep suspicion away I need to learn more magical theory."

Death nodded. "I understand. Well goodbye and good luck, Dr Stein."

"Keep in touch," Spirit said, a slight smile on his face.

Kid then stepped up, offering his hand to shake. "It was an honour to have you here."

Stein shook his hand, but then Kid offered his other hand so Stein was forced put down his suitcase to shake that as well.

"See you all in the summer," he waved as he stepped into the mirror and back into his room at Hogwarts. Behind him the portal once more became a mirror and the picture of Death vanished.

Instantly Stein was on guard, someone had been in his room while he was away. There were some slight disturbances in his room. Certain books weren't in the exact same places that he left them. It was possible it could have been one of the house elves, but they were always utterly meticulous at putting things back and not touching books or anything that could be under an enchantment.

So who could it have been?

His soul perception instantly alerted him to two souls in his office. What they were doing her didn't know. It would be best to be stealthy.

Silently opening the door, he saw the familiar backs of two red-haired twins looking in one of his trunks. He relaxed. At least it wasn't malicious. They seemed to be whispering about something. He listened in while creeping up on them silently. They seemed to have a piece of parchment out between them as they rummaged through some of his things.

"I mean, it's not like he actually wears his robes that often," George pointed out to his twin.

"That's true. But look we're even at the moment, we need to one-up him in order to keep our reputation. Maybe this time we'll make them vanish..." Fred seemed delighted at the thought.

"I think that's a bit far, I mean he might actually kill us if we did that. We're lucky enough the maps says he's not here," George said, gesturing somewhat to the piece of parchment between them.

"I suppose. But we have to do something! If he didn't want us to get into his stuff then he would have warded his stuff, wouldn't he?"

"And we can't be blamed if we happened to stumble upon his stuff now can we?" Both twins seemed satisfied with this piece of logic.

"Exactly," Fred agreed. "Although you'd think a professor's things would be better protected."

Then Stein put a hand on each of their shoulders. "Some would say it is."

The two boys froze, and slowly turned towards Stein, panic in their eyes. Their wandlight seemed to glimmer off of Stein's glasses, obscuring his eyes.

"Err, good evening sir," George began, his voice only slightly shaking.

Crank! Crank! Crank!

"Now boys, let's try a little experiment..." Stein grinned.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And that's that. We have a hint of foreshadowing as to what is to come and who will become involved. Medusa is personally my favourite villain from Soul Eater. She's just so good at being evil, it's astonishing.**

**I'm rather surprised to be honest, loads of people seem to be liking this story so far, which is awesome! I really enjoy writing Stein, he's a surprisingly interesting character!**

**Anyway, feel free to tell me what you think, what worked for you and what didn't, or any ideas you may have. I love to read you reviews!**

**Oh and yes, the Deathly Hallows will play a part in the story. **

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**I'll try to update sometime next week!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Here we are, brand new chapter! I managed to find some time to finish this so I thought I'd put it up. Well enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater or Harry Potter.**

* * *

><p><strong>Duelling<strong>

Minerva wasn't very happy with him. It was a shame since they'd generally been getting along quite well up to this point. It seemed her 'strict but fair' persona that she often used with her students also extended towards teachers she felt had crossed some sort of invisible line.

Stein had always been bad at seeing those lines, as many of his former colleagues could attest. Azusa had always stopped him from dissecting random people in the street; which had never made sense to a younger Stein. After all what other use did they have?

Now that he was older and wiser, Stein had become much better at seeing those unmarked social boundaries, those silent agreements between people that allowed civilised society to exist. In the scientist's personal opinion, he had been very lenient on punishing those two for breaking into his personal quarters. Spirit would be very surprised at his considerable and noteworthy restraint if he could see; as would many of the others who knew him at Shibusen.

Of course, he'd had to go back into the Forbidden Forest afterwards to... work off the rest of his frustration, but he had still been lenient towards the two!

Honestly, use your soul sutures to sow someone's right ear to another persons left ear and laugh as the two hobble around desperately trying to run away wasn't _that _harsh.

Even after he had explained to the deputy that it was a painless 'spell' that he used and that it would wear off... eventually (probably), she had still been rather harsh in lecturing him on 'the proper way' to punish students.

When the twins had come hobbling into breakfast the next day, one of them having to face the other way for fear ripping their ears off he wasn't the only teacher who had smirked at the sight! Severus had actually made a noise approximating that of a smug chuckle and Dumbledore had openly smiled!

In retrospect though; it was pretty obvious it had been him. Most adult wizards didn't even know what stitches were; let alone know how to 'conjure' magical painless ones. Whereas he had his guilt practically written across his face! He probably should have thought it through. Shibusen's punishment system was rather lax; working off a very simple assumption. If you were stupid enough to piss off your teacher, you probably deserved whatever punishment you got.

After warning him that she wouldn't tolerate any more of that sort of behaviour she had calmed down somewhat, although she still acted rather coldly towards him.

The odd thing was, that out of everyone who was affected by the incident, she seemed to have taken it the worst. The twins had been laughing along with the rest of the school at their odd predicament, even if it prevented them from eating at the same time, or even sleeping in a comfortable position for a couple of nights.

It still worked however. The twins had backed off for now. They had clearly decided that there were far easier targets to choose from before coming after Stein again. He had already demonstrated that they couldn't fool him in person, and now that he had shown them what would happen if he caught them tampering with his things, they had finally realised that needlessly antagonising him was a foolish venture, liable to land them in awkward situations.

Many of the other students seemed to have realised the same thing, much to his delight. His lessons were far quieter than they had been, with much less misbehaving and arsing around in general. Even his Slytherin-Gryffindor classes had quietened down somewhat! A reputation truly was a wonderful thing. Now he saw why Severus went to such lengths to maintain his.

All in all; it had definitely been worth it.

Now, if only he could somehow find a way to observe Wizard's duelling without actually having to take part.

* * *

><p>It was the first staff meeting of the new term. On a cold January evening in the teacher's lounge. They had just about finished discussing the new security measures that had been put in place after the troll incident. Dumbledore sat at the head of the table, flanked by Minerva and Filius.<p>

"Unfortunately, all I could get out of Cornelius were the services of an enchanter to prevent the use of portkeys," Dumbledore explained sadly to the table. "The minister has become rather stringent as of late."

"As if a troll would use a portkey of all things!" Minerva scoffed, with several staff members agreeing with her.

"Thank you Minerva. We have, of course, assured the parents that such an incident will not happen again and that we are doing everything in our power to prevent another break-in," Dumbledore said, looking around at the others. "So, until the end of the school year there will be tighter security patrols around the entrances to the castle. There will also be a new patrol schedule for us to adhere to. I apologise for the burden that this will place on many of you."

"Oh, it's fine Dumbledore!" Pomona Sprout said good naturedly, waving away his concerns. "A bit of extra work never hurt anyone."

Near the other end of the large table, Stein sat between Septima and Sybil Trelawney, the Divination teacher, neither of whom seemed happy at the prospect of more work. Of course neither were audacious enough to complain. A troll managing to break into Hogwarts was practically unheard of. It was clear to anyone with even an ounce of sense that stricter measures had to be taken. It was a teacher's job to protect their students; something even Stein agreed with in his more lucid moments.

The only concerning problem was that of the government's attitude. Although they seemed smart enough to realise that a troll couldn't have possibly entered without someone's help, they seemed utterly ignorant to the possibility that it could have been aided from someone on the inside. Stein leant back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head. It didn't matter too much; most of the teachers here were smart enough to realise that.

No, the problem they seemed to have was in pinpointing who among them would do such a thing. Sadly the most obvious suspect happened to be Stein himself. This was his first year at Hogwarts and this was the first year something like this had happened. He also happened to be foreign, which to some drew an immediate suspicion. Then finally there was his generally creepy appearance. Stein hadn't been able to cultivate his 'nice teacher' persona to many of the other staff members. Thereby they judged him mostly by how he looked.

Judging by their souls and general attitudes towards him only Snape, Septima, Filius, Minerva, Hagrid and the headmaster himself didn't think he had something to do with it.

Oh, and Quirinus, but he didn't count.

"Are there any other issues that are needed to be discussed?" Dumbledore asked, looking around at the small assembly.

Filius immediately cleared his throat.

"Ah yes, there is the matter of the new duelling club," he said, a noticeable tinge of excitement entering his voice. "I've managed to find enough staff members with time on their hands to help set it up. The club will be open to all years, but will be divided into groups so as to avoid any embarrassing match-ups. As you know, the notices have been up for awhile and now that we have an accurate numbers count we've made a schedule."

He conjured a piece of parchment and began to read it aloud.

"At eight every Tuesday evening we'll be using the Great Hall for the club. In order to prevent the... outright chaos that occurred last time we tried to introduce a duelling club there will be three professors, each teaching and supervising certain years. Professor Stein will be teaching the first to third years, Quirinus the fourth and fifth years and finally, I will be supervising the sixth and seventh years!"

He ended his little announcement with great gusto; clearly excited at the prospect of teaching students to duel. This excited Stein somewhat, the man's soul was certainly larger than his body, although that wasn't much of an achievement, it hinted at his incredible power. That combined with his utter lack of reaction towards the troll and his general temperament towards combat in general, made it rather obvious to Stein that Filius Flitwick was no pushover.

There were some general mutterings amongst some of the staff. None of them seemed thrilled at the idea of him being close to impressionable first and second years. Of course none of them had the balls to actually complain.

"I do hope Stein that you won't be quite so harsh on the first years as you were on the twins," Minerva said with an unnerving neutral tone. "We do want them to leave Hogwarts wanting to return someday."

"I said I was sorry," Stein muttered, eliciting a small giggle from Septima.

'To you anyway.'

He wisely kept this thought in his head. He had a friendly persona to keep up among the staff.

"Anyway that was months ago, I haven't done anything else since then," Stein argued, trying to keep up a welcoming smile. "And the two seemed to take it rather well."

"It doesn't matter how 'well' they take it," she lectured. "You should know that such punishments are outdated at Hogwarts."

"Yes, thank you Minerva," Dumbledore interjected, putting up his hand. "I apologise for interrupting, but I do believe that Quirinus wants to speak."

Indeed, the nervous man had a hand up as if he was a student, practically shaking in his boots. Stein personally thought he was overdoing it, but then again the others seemed to buy it so what did he know?

"T-t-t-thank you, h-headmaster," he said gratefully. "I-In regards t-to the duelling c-c-club I was w-wondering if perhaps a de-de-de-demonstration d-d-duel would be in order? I-It might en-en-courage them to c-c-c-continue."

"That's a rather good idea," Filius said encouragingly, his eyes glinting with interest. "Who would be willing to perform however?"

"Perhaps Quirinus himself would be willing to volunteer?" Snape suggested, his gleaming eyes never leaving the defence professor. "I hear that he had quite a bit of practice with duelling during his... wanderings."

Quirrel seemingly whimpered at even the very idea of being in a duel, drawing some pitying looks from nearby teachers.

Snape's sudden fixation with Quirrel was rather odd, Stein noted. He usually had little to say at such meetings that didn't involve his subject or his Slytherins. He had also been in a rather bad temper since the last Quidditch match he refereed.

'Does he suspect Quirrel as well?' Stein wondered, leaning forward to subtly study the man. 'He certainly seems more irritated by him than the others...'

"Now that hardly seems fair Severus," Minerva said sternly. "You know very well that Filius is a world class duellist. It wouldn't be much of a demonstration if the odds were stacked so heavily in his favour."

"Oh nonsense Minerva, that was years ago," Flitwick said. "Besides I've retired from duelling. I'm far too old; my reflexes aren't quite what they used to be. A simple demonstration for the children is hardly likely to result in anything disastrous, please give me some credit."

"Nevertheless-"

"P-p-perhaps someone y-y-y-younger would be w-willing?" Quirinus interrupted nervously, as all eyes turned to him. "P-p-perhaps Professor S-S-Stein would be willing?"

Stein sat up a little straighter at his words.

So that's what he was doing. He wanted to know how much of a threat Stein really was to his plans. By seeing the scientist duel against Flitwick under the guise of a demonstration, he could judge how much of a threat Stein was to his plans. It was rather clumsily done though. Stein could easily hold back and present false information to take advantage of later.

Using Soul Perception; Stein was quick to understand why. The other soul had a diminished presence in Quirinus's body. It seemed Quirinus was in full control while the other soul rested for the moment. It must be tiring exerting your will on another human being constantly after all. It's a good thing he seems to have the defence professor pretty well brainwashed as well as mentally weakened, otherwise Quirrel might have tried to do something about it.

"What?" Stein asked, sounding bored. "Me duel Filius? When he's a former world champion and I haven't even got a basic duelling certificate? I'm honoured you think so highly of my abilities, Quirinus, however there must be someone who would be a better match for him than me."

"It really doesn't matter," Filius said, giving Stein an encouraging smile. "It's all for the student's benefit after all. I'm sure the duel will be a pleasant one. Who knows, you might even learn a thing or two."

And that had been that.

Filius wouldn't budge on the issue for the rest of the meeting. He was completely confident that Stein could handle it. The scientist saw Snape give an almost invisible shrug, as if to say there was nothing else that could be done. This caused Stein's spirit's to plummet. If even Snape was giving up on convincing Filius not to duel him, it must be impossible. The other teachers around him all seemed to realise the futility as well, not to mention all of their schedules for the evening in question were suspiciously full.

It seemed that Filius had had an urge to duel for quite some time, and he wasn't going to be denied. At least that's what Stein thought. He hadn't had a decent fight for years, to be denied after being promised one would be incredibly irritating to say the least.

It wasn't until the meeting had ended and they were leaving that Stein found out why for sure.

"Why were you so adamant about duelling me?" Stein asked, waking next to the charms professor. "You know I'm not going to be a match for you."

The little man chuckled. "When you get to my age you realise it's not always about winning," he said jovially. "It's about what you learn. Did you see how nerve wracked poor Quirrel was nowadays? I'm surprised he even suggested it! How could I put any more of a burden on that poor man's shoulders? You've heard, no doubt, how little the children seem to think of him. Albus would have already let the poor man go if it wasn't for the shortage of teachers."

So that was what it was. Stein relaxed somewhat. Flitwick couldn't possibly have realised he was a spy, it was just pity for a fellow contemporary. Stein didn't really understand such a thing, but whatever worked he guessed.

"This may sound like a personal question," Stein began, unsure of how delicate such a topic would be to the man. "But what made Quirrel like this? You speak as if you knew him before."

Filius sighed. "Indeed I have known him for quite some time. In fact I taught him when he was at Hogwarts."

Stein's eyes widened. "Really? You taught him when he was a student?!"

"Look good for my age, do I?" Filius teased, pretending to be proud before his voice grew more solemn. "But yes, I did. He was in my house as well. Ravenclaw; frightfully bright lad he was. It's just unfortunate that no one ever took him seriously. You see, young Quirinus was unequalled when it came to theory, from things you could learn from books. He aced every test and exam. It's just that when it came to the practical side of things, he would panic or freeze up and all that knowledge would go flying right out of his head."

Filius's good mood from the meeting had practically vanished by this point.

"Alas, this hadn't changed when he got older. Although he passed his school exams, he wasn't able to pass the one's issued by the Aurors. He became a teacher and taught Muggle Studies for a while. But I could see the anger and bitterness within him from failing, from being mocked for his timid nature. It's such a shame.

"Perhaps he just wanted to prove himself, or maybe he just wanted overcome his crippling weakness, I don't really know. Whatever the reason, Quirinus decided to take a year off teaching and took a trip to Albania. I don't know what happened there, only that when he came back he was... diminished. That thirst for knowledge he'd always had was gone. That tenacity to never give up, that was gone as well. Quirinus set out to experience the world and the world broke him."

Silence saturated the corridor they walked down. There was nothing but the sounds of their feet hitting the hard floors.

Stein's eyes narrowed. 'So that's when that other soul attached itself to him; when he was in Albania. Could there be more over there? It certainly wouldn't hurt to have a few people go out there and check. Maybe Joe...'

Stein was forced to keep his thoughts on hold; Filius had continued talking.

"I probably shouldn't have said all that," he said, seeming a little sad. "It's not really any of our business."

"It's alright, I understand," Stein said reassuringly. "You didn't want to add another burden onto the back of an already broken man. It's understandable, I can't blame you for it."

Stein lifted his hands behind his head and groaned.

"It's just that this duel is going to be a disaster."

Filius chuckled again, the mere mention of his passion reigniting his spirit. "Oh I wouldn't know about that," he stated. "I haven't properly duelled for decades now. My wand arm is a little rusty having done nothing but teach children for so long."

"Somehow I'm sceptical," Stein said, looking peeved. Oh well, at least Filius hadn't done it because he was suspicious of him.

"Also, I have a feeling the match won't be as one sided as you many of the others seem to think," Filius casually added. "You included."

Stein almost froze at this.

"What makes you say that?" Stein inquired, trying to keep his voice pleasant and curious.

"It's a difficult thing to describe," Filius explained, scratching his chin. "You have a sort of strong focus about you that many of the others don't. A strange vehemence in your eyes that prevents you from losing sight of your goal."

"You flatter me..."

"No, not really. I noticed it when we first met. You observed everyone in the room before you relaxed. That's a trick that Auror's are taught, so they are always aware of who is in a room at every particular time in order to avoid surprises and potential ambushes. Then there was the troll incident. Not only did you not even show a hint of anxiety when many of the other teachers panicked, but you also showed independence n thought by making sure Quirinus was alright before leaving."

"You noticed all that? I thought you were drunk?" Stein asked, trying to ignore the sweat dripping down the back of his neck.

If he had noticed, how many others had as well?!

Filius chuckled again and tapped his nose. "Oh, we oldies are never as drunk as we pretend to be. That's another lesson you'll need to learn. But anyway, I'm sure you'll do just fine. I may even give you some tips after I've won. Ha!"

'Well, at least he doesn't suspect that I'm not a wizard,' Stein thought as the merry little man wandered away. 'But he has realised that I'm a fighter, great.'

If Filius suspected it then Dumbledore certainly knew. How many of the other teachers knew? Snape and Minerva might, but the others he wasn't sure of.

He groaned. 'Looks like I'm reporting to Lord Death early this month...'

* * *

><p>"Sir, all we're asking for is a little help," George pleaded, his hands placed together.<p>

"No."

"We've been trying for ages, but we still can't do it!" Fred yelled annoyed, unused to admitting defeat.

"The answer's still no. Now would you get out of my office; I have a student to meet with in a minute."

"You wouldn't deny us such a simple request would you?" George asked. "Would you really settle for us staying in this state of ignorance? Can your conscience handle it?"

"Without a doubt," Stein replied.

"Isn't it a teacher's job to help his students?" Fred questioned, a finger to his chin in mock thought.

"Why I do believe it is, Fred," George answered, still looking at Stein pleadingly.

"So doesn't that make it your civic duty to help us, sir?" Fred asked, his logic clearly impeccable.

Stein put down his pen and sighed. "I'm not teaching you the 'spell' I used to sew your ears together and that's final!"

"We're quick learners, sir," George claimed.

"Indeed, there are no finer students then us," Fred said backing him up, somehow keeping a straight face.

"I'm not teaching you," Stein reaffirmed, resisting the urge to dissect the pair of them and hide the bodies with a truly heroic effort.

"Look sir, if this is because of the robes incident we assure you we won't do it again," George said, putting his hands together.

"I swear we've seen the error of our ways!" Fred pleaded as well. "We swear by Merlin's scraggy beard!"

"I'm not teaching either of you. You broke into my personal quarters while I was away and tried to 'vanish my clothes'," Stein said coldly. "I don't like teaching students who break into the place where I sleep. It puts me on edge."

The twins had the decency to at least look a little sheepish. At least before Fred's face suddenly lit up like a firecracker.

"Well sir, technically we never broke into your personal quarters so to speak," he said, looking at his twin for support.

"Just your office," George chirped in helpfully.

"So unless you sleep there, we haven't really broken your rule," Fred continued proudly.

"But who hasn't slept in their office every now and then?" George said loudly, backpedalling furiously at the cold fury on his teacher's face.

"Don't lie to me," Stein demanded. "You two had been in my quarters as well. Things had been moved from where I'd left them."

"Sir, we swear we weren't in your quarters!" Fred said with a surprising passion while George nodded beside him.

Stein yellow eyes narrowed, sending visible shivers down the boys spines. Flashbacks of cruel laughter while the two stumbled around helplessly surged through their minds as Stein put a hand to his chin.

How odd, their souls indicated they were telling the truth. As hard to believe as it seemed, the two boys hadn't gone into his personal quarters. Of course that raised the question of who had?

Before he could think about it anymore there was a knock on the door and a pretty purple haired girl entered the room.

"Err, Professor? Should I come back later?" she asked, staring at the twins in surprise.

"No it's fine, they were just leaving," Stein said, giving the two boys pointed looks, just daring them to argue with him.

Two identical grins split their faces, their apparent fear of him vanishing the instant they saw the chance to irritate someone.

"Oh I see, sir," Fred spoke, looking appreciatively at the girl, his voice alight with a mischief that made Stein twitch. "That's why you wanted us to leave."

"Dear brother, why don't we leave our esteemed professor to his 'work'?" George suggested, his eyes practically twinkling with mirth.

"Of course. As fellow men it's practically our duty!" Fred bellowed, taking a bow.

"And may I say sir, you have a _fantastic _eye-"

"Get out," Stein ground out, twisting his screw with a ferocious passion. "Or this time I'll stitch your lips together!"

The two gingers quickly hurried out as fast as they could; they knew it was no idle threat. Pausing only to mock bow to the blushing seventh year student, before leaving the two of them alone. Honestly, he had no patience for such idiocy right now. Suggesting he would do such a thing to one of his students really irritated him. Now if they'd been talking about him wanting to dissect her he couldn't really have denied it.

"Were those two bothering you professor?" she asked, pointing behind her; more than a small amount of confusion in her expression.

"It's nothing I can't handle," Stein said honestly, calming down. "Just a couple of wannabe pranksters. Please sit down."

The girl accidentally knocked her hip painfully against a nearby table before she managed to take her seat. She looked eagerly towards Stein, ready to begin.

"Alright then Nymphadora-"

She winced. Stein ignored her.

"I've already had a look at your file. Professor McGonagall says you're doing very well in Transfiguration. An O grade isn't easy to achieve, you should be proud."

"Well, it does come naturally," Nymphadora admitted. "I am a metamorphmagus."

Then to demonstrate she turned her rather frizzy hair melon green, then hot pink and then pale blue. Whilst she was doing this she turned her nose into one eerily reminiscent to that of an Aardvark's, before returning it to it's original shape. Or at least the shape it had been in when she entered the room.

Stein gave his screw another few clockwise turns. Suppressing the desire to tie her down and rip her apart he continued.

"As I am aware. You don't need to demonstrate," he said, keeping his voice in his usual bored monotone. "According to the files you are also achieving O's in Potions and Charms, both also rather difficult subjects. This is all very good so far. Then we come to defence. An E at NEWT level is good, not excellent, but good. It should be enough to get you into an interview to become an Auror."

She seemed to brighten up at that.

"Unfortunately, in Muggle Studies you're only achieving an A grade."

And back down she went. Nymphadora bit her bottom lip. "Is that bad?" she asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Had you been going for any other career, barring one that involved working closely with muggles, it would have been fine. But you're applying to be an Auror, and as you know they only accept the best."

Nymphadora Tonks nodded glumly. "Yes, sir," she muttered, barely audible.

"It doesn't help that you chose Muggle Studies instead of Herbology, which is the subject they prefer," Stein said, remembering what he had read up on about the Aurors in Britain only about ten minutes before hand. "Since my subject is seen as somewhat 'soft' by many wizards, you'll have to do your best to get the top marks in both Defence and Muggle Studies to make up for it."

She seemed stunned, but quickly recovered. "B-but that'll never happen, professor! Quirrel is a complete- I mean he's not a very good teacher. When it comes to the practical parts of the exam, everyone's going to fail! He just can't seem to figure out how to use the spells he talks about!" she ranted, panting from letting out the frustration that she had clearly been building up for some time.

It seems even the older students had their problems with the nervous teacher. It was clear that Quirinus was doing his best to maintain the personality he was known for. Good at theory but less than exemplary when it came to the practical aspects. Theory could only get one so far when it came to magic. Spells quite often seemed to depend on the mental state of the caster. Certain spells would naturally come far more easily to some than they would to others.

Some called this talent; Stein just called it luck.

"Well as it so happens, the Duelling club is having it's first meeting on Tuesday evening," Stein explained. "Professor Flitwick will be teaching your year. Perhaps he might help with any spells you've been having difficulty with?"

"That would be nice," Nymphadora said with a sigh.

"I'm sure he'll show you a few things if you ask. As you're a metamorphmagus, that will certainly win you a few points at the ministry and will makes things easier for you," Stein said, remembering what very little he had read about metamorphmagi. "All you need to do Nymphadora, is get your Muggle Studies grade up and you should be fine. Pop in for a few extra lessons and I think you'll be able to scrape an O."

"Thank you Professor," Nymphadora said gratefully, before nervously adding: "You can just call me Tonks by the way. No one but my mother calls me Nymphadora."

She said this rather fast. Stein raised an eyebrow; she'd never been bothered by it in class before.

"Alright then, Tonks," he said, before returning to the papers in front of him. "How does Saturdays at ten sound? Until you get your grade up anyway."

"That sounds good Professor," Tonks responded. "Err, sir? Is it true you're going to be duelling Professor Flitwick?"

Stein looked momentarily surprised, before leaning forward. "How did you know that?"

"Well, Professor Quirrel mentioned it during our last lesson," she remembered. "He looked rather furious with himself afterwards though."

Stein's expression became unreadable for a moment.

"Yes, I will be duelling Flitwick, but only at the Duelling Club as a demonstration. Not for personal reasons," Stein clarified.

He had read a bit about the history of duelling and it was rather odd how seriously it was taken in the Wizarding World. It wasn't too long ago that Wizards would duel over matters of honour and status, rather than just for sport as it was now. There were of course a few people who still resolved duelling for personal matters, but they tended to be the older and more traditional pureblood families.

"Okay."

She seemed anxious, Stein noticed, nervous even.

"Is that everything sir?"

"Yes, you may go," Stein said, waving her away while leaning back in his chair.

Tonks stood up to leave while Stein thought to himself. If Quirrel was intentionally spreading rumours then it was most likely due to a petty matter of pride rather than a malicious attempt at slandering Stein's name. Was Quirrel, or what was left him anyway, really that annoyed that Stein figured out he was being possessed by someone? Who knew how having your soul absorbed affected your critical thinking skills? It probably didn't do anything good...

"Oh and Professor Stein?" Tonks suddenly spoke up from the doorway.

"Huh?"

"Good Luck!" she said, before bumping into the doorframe and leaving rather hurriedly.

Stein stared after her. He gave his screw a couple more turns.

'Kids...' he thought derisively, before leaning back into his chair.

Her actions were remarkably similar to those of Dr Medusa's when he first bumped into her. Stein's eyes narrowed in suspicion, his mind moving lazily in circles and drifting away from the marking it should have been doing.

Dr Medusa...

Shibusen's basement contained a number of powerful and interesting artefacts that had been recovered from ancient tombs or Witch rituals. Which one of those would particularly appeal to a doctor? Was it just scientific curiosity? Or something more sinister?

Whichever it was, Stein couldn't help the apprehension he felt whenever he thought of her. Unfortunately, Lord Death wouldn't accept 'I have a bad feeling' as a reason to remove her, so he would need more concrete proof of her acting in a suspicious manner before he could do anything. Hopefully Spirit would be keeping a close eye on her, so she wouldn't be able to do any serious damage while he was gone.

_"You have a strong focus about you," _Filius' words buzzed around Stein's skull as he suddenly thought back to his short interaction with Medusa.

Other than bumping into one another, assuming that was a genuine accident, everything she had done afterwards had had a clear purpose. Every action she took would enhance her image as a shy doctor, nervous at meeting Shibusen's strongest meister.

And yet like his colleague had said, there was a strange sort of focus about her. Like everything she did had been planned.

Stein casually lit a cigarette and put a hand to his head. Not to mention the mystery of whoever it was that broke into his room while he was away at Shibusen. It was probably Quirrel, but he couldn't rule out anyone else just because there was an obvious suspect.

Maybe he was overthinking things. For now, he really needed to get this marking done...

* * *

><p>After quite a bit of waiting the day had finally arrived. A surprisingly large number of students were milling around outside the Great Hall entrance, waiting for the doors to open.<p>

Inside the hall, the four great tables were gone to be replaced by a large traditional duelling platform strewn horizontally across the hallway. This left plenty of space for the students to watch the upcoming duel and for a bit of practice afterwards.

Stein had over the last few months, been reading as many books about defence as he could and committing them to memory. He should be able to handle any questions put forward by the first to third years quite easily. All the basic curses and defensive tactics which they would be learning would be easy to teach. As for duelling Filius though, he was obviously going to have to throw the match. Ignoring how suspicious it would look if he, a relative unknown, managed to beat Filius it also wouldn't help if Quirrel learned what he was capable of.

He had revealed to the man that he was aware he was being possessed. That presumably put Stein somewhere high up on the man's hit list. Stein had ever since been on guard in case the man tried something while he was sleeping. Making it look like an accident presumably wouldn't be very difficult for a wizard to pull off, particularly one who had managed to fool quite a few of the highly accomplished wizards he lived with on a daily basis.

He also had to be sure he didn't get too into the fight. If his insanity flared up during the match he might actually kill the kindly charms professor, which would definitely blow his cover.

Boy would that would be a pain to explain to Lord Death.

So as the door opened and the children rushed in. Stein recognised briefly quite a few of them. The Weasely twins were here, as was Tonks and the trio that had fought the troll. All of them were chatting amongst themselves, sending the odd glance towards the teachers.

Stein stood watching them along with Quirinus and Filius on the raised platform. He'd resolved to keep himself under control for the duration of the match. He could always blow off some frustration later in the Forbidden Forest. Stein was sure there still some unicorns left in there somewhere.

Filius stepped forward as all the children's attention quickly turned towards him.

"Good evening everyone!" he welcomed, looking around at the assembled students from all years. "It's a pleasure to see that so many of you have turned up. Now before we get started, we Professors decided that a good demonstration should get the old Hippogriffs charging, as it were."

He gestured to the side where Stein was standing, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and his hands in his coat pockets.

"Professor Stein and I will be duelling in order for you all to get a good grasp on the basic premises of duelling," Filius continued, practically bubbling with suppressed excitement. "If nothing else, I feel it will be a good show, ha ha!" he chuckled.

The students milled around excitedly as Quirinus left the stage, leaving just Stein and Filius who approached one another in the middle.

"Now!" Filius said to the crowds, his voice raised. "First the duellists present there wands, like so!"

Holding his wand, he presented it pointing upwards in front of himself. Stein copied his motion flawlessly.

"Now, the duellists bow to one another as a form of respect!"

Filius bowed and Stein did the same. There were a few giggles from the audience at the absurd height difference between the two. Even when he bowed low, Stein's head was still a good foot higher that the charms professor's when standing at full height.

"Next we turn and perform ten paces away from one another," Flitwick continued as he and Stein did so. "Or, more commonly, until we are both at the end of the duelling platform."

This got a few more chuckles as the smaller professor took quite a few more steps to reach the end. Both duellists then turned towards one another and got ready. Filius held his wand out in one hand, his other behind him. Whilst Stein took a more neutral stance, simply spreading his legs slightly and pointing his wand forwards.

"Now I should reassure you children that the platform is warded so no deflected spells will hit you," Flitwick reassured the students, a number of whom had already taken a step back. "You are all perfectly safe, I promise you."

Stein said nothing, merely giving his screw a good couple of turns as a precaution. Losing control here could result in a dead colleague and a blown cover.

"The aim of any sophisticated duel is to disarm the opponent, rather than maim them," Filius explained, not taking his eyes off of Stein. "The winner is decided when they lose their wand or are clearly unable to continue."

Quirinus stepped forward near the middle and raised his arm. Both the duellists tensed and their focuses hardened. Pale blue met yellow as Stein felt the slightest prickling sensation just under his eyes. He focussed on dispelling the sensation, causing Flitwick to grin. The students tensed up, staring between the two teachers; some of the keener ones able to sense the sudden change in the air.

The hall held in a collective breath.

"Duel!" Quirinus yelled, bringing his arm down and quickly stepping away from the platform.

* * *

><p>Harry had had his reservations about coming to the duelling club. For one thing Professor Stein would be there and he gave him the creeps. Occasionally the guy would look at him as if he was looking right through Harry, sending shivers down his spine.<p>

From what Ron had said, his appearance was unusual even amongst the Wizarding world. Most wizards didn't even know what stitches were, let alone covered themselves and their clothes in them. And he had a large screw driven through the side of his head. Harry knew he wasn't the only one who felt uncomfortable looking at it. The guy seemed almost as scary as Snape and Harry was privately glad he didn't take whatever class he taught.

Hermione seemed convinced that it was Snape who was after the stone, especially after Harry had heard Snape threatening Professor Quirrel in the Forbidden Forest, but now Harry wasn't so sure. He thought it was strange that Stein had been right where they were on the night they had first met Fluffy, not to mention he was there staring directly at him when they fought the troll. It was almost like he was hoping it would kill them; he hadn't even helped!

They had also learned that Stein had recently become quite chummy with Hagrid. The groundskeeper had often spoke of their trips into the Forbidden Forest looking after the school animals. He and Ron were beginning to think that Stein might also be after the Philosopher's stone and was trying to figure out how to get past Fluffy as well. Or, even worse, if he and Snape were working together to try and get the stone.

They had decided to go to the duelling club anyway, to learn more about how to fight in case they ever had to confront Snape or Stein someday, as well as to keep an eye on the creepy teacher.

Hermione had explained how she thought it was unlikely to help against a teacher, however she was always eager to learn something new so had easily come along with him and Ron with little complaint.

It was only now, watching Stein duel with Professor Flitwick, that Harry realised how little chance any of them would stand against a teacher. Judging by the expressions on Ron and Hermione's faces, they were just realising the same thing.

It was startling, the difference between the jolly carefree charms Professor they were used to, and this cold duelling machine that was being displayed in the duel.

Flitwick jumped back and forth with surprising speed, shooting blue jets of light straight at Stein's legs in an attempt to knock him off balance. Yet Stein, the tip of his wand glowing bright yellow, deflected each one almost lazily, like it wasn't even difficult. Considering each spell shot towards him with the speed of a mad bludger, this was no easy feat.

This continued for a few seconds, with Stein purely on the defensive, each jet of light increasing in speed and ferocity as Flitwick sped up. He moved his wand with lightning speed and precision, in utter silence performing spells as to which the nature of Harry couldn't even begin to guess. Each spell merging with the last, until Harry couldn't even distinguish one hex from another. But again Stein blocked, deflected or outright dodged each and every one with a bored expression on his face.

Then Stein ducked under a particularly bright red jet of light, then began to counterattack. He swung his wand in a wide arc, sending powerful yellow light straight at Flitwick. The man was forced to break off his attack and instantly conjured some sort of silvery dome around himself, causing the attack to bounce off before he quickly shot back with another blue blast, which Stein deflected with a flick of his wrist.

They continued to trade spells for a few more seconds. Bright colours of blue, red and orange shot from Flitwick's wand, whereas Stein stuck with his strange yellow spells, never flinching from the charms professor's continuous assault.

Then as if on some unseen signal they both stopped. The two stood there on ether side of the platform, staring appraisingly at one another, their eyes locked.

'Probing for weakness,' some unknown instinct within Harry realised. 'That was just the warm up to get a feel for the opponent. Now the match really begins.'

The tension was almost unbearable. The whole hall was deathly silent, watching, waiting for the match to begin again with a new fervour. Beside him Ron had his eyes glued to the match, not daring to blink in case he missed something; while Hermione bit her bottom lip, her eyes glancing warily between the two professors.

Then Flitwick moved. At a speed that stunned Harry, a practical river of multi-coloured spells shot towards Stein who began blocking and deflecting them in earnest. Then Flitwick waved his wand again, and conjured fire.

It lit the whole audience in it's deep orange glow as a large trail of it spilled out of his wand and flew towards a rather alarmed looking Stein.

He quickly back tracked, dodging the first swipe which left a burnt mark in the stage floor, and whipped his own wand in retaliation. A long crackling yellow whip materialised out of it, ripping apart the flames. For a couple more seconds both streams of fire and lightning battled for supremacy, clashing with bright flashes of light, before Stein made a strange swirling motion and his spell tore through Flitwick's and dove straight for the diminutive professor.

Flitwick simply laughed, conjuring a powerful solid silver shield with a quick flick of his wand. Stein's attack bounced harmlessly off, leaving him open to an immediate retaliation. A bright purple flash came from Flitwick's wand, striking the taller professor in his foot before he could block.

Harry heard Hermione gasp beside him at this sudden shift in the duel, as Stein's leg stopped moving completely.

The professor quickly cancelled his yellow whip in favour of blocking Flitwick's pressing attack. The charms professor was stepping forward, continuing his assault without pause; a practical plethora of colours emerging from the tip of his wand. Yet despite a clearly unmoving leg, Stein continued to counter every single curse, jinx or hex sent towards him without pause.

For a moment, Harry thought Stein's empty hand had glowed yellow, but when he blinked it was gone. Harry quickly dismissed it as a trick of the light and continued watching the duel in silence.

As another spell grazed the taller man's shoulder, it was clear he was only now beginning to show signs of slowing. Flitwick's spell had obviously affected him; his movements were slowing, his occasional attacks become fewer and far between Flitwick's continuous onslaught. It was only a matter of time before victory was decided.

Eventually with a triumphant flick of the charms professor's wrist, a red spell went curling around Stein's counter and knocked the man's wand out of his grasp. Flitwick caught it with a triumphant air about him as the entire hall was silent for a brief second.

It then erupted into a deafening applause. Filius quickly undid whatever spell it was that immobilised Stein's leg and the two bowed towards one another. Filius handed the taller man's wand back before addressing the hall, a sheen of sweat clearly visible on his forehead.

"An incredible match!" he yelled out, tired but very happy. "Lets hear it for Professor Stein!"

Stein merely raised a hand, a slight smile on his face not looking tired in the slightest, as the students erupted into applause and occasional cheers. He gave his screw a couple of turns, causing some of the younger students to shudder.

"How about another round of applause for the one who actually won the duel?" Stein suggested, a friendly smile on his face. "Professor Flitwick!"

The whole crowd of students went wild as Professor Flitwick absolutely beamed at them all. He bowed once more before clapping his hands together as the applause gradually died down.

"Now then, it's time for you all to have a turn!" Flitwick said, spreading his arms. "Seventh and sixth years please come over to me, fifth and fourth years to Professor Quirrel and finally first through third years to Professor Stein."

Harry felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as everyone began walking.

"Come on!" Hermione said, clearly excited at the prospect of learning half of what they had just seen.

Even Ron seemed somewhat interested in the idea of learning from what he had just seen.

"We should go over there," Ron eventually spoke. "He's hardly going to do anything to us right now is he?"

Harry had to agree with that. Snape had at least been anonymous in the crowd when he last tried to kill Harry at the Quidditch pitch. The two jogged to catch up with Hermione who had gone on ahead.

Harry was quick to notice that Malfoy was here as well, along with Crabbe and Goyle standing behind him menacingly. A few other Slytherins that Harry didn't recognise were here as well. As well as the twins. In fact, it was mostly Gryffindors and Slytherins here. Harry was smart enough to recognise a rising tension when he was right in the middle of one. It had happened often enough at school with Dudley and his cronies.

Harry intelligently placed himself near the back along with Ron and Hermione. They all looked up at Professor Stein who was now sitting on the raised platform his legs dangling down off the edge. He looked completely relaxed despite his recent loss, as he looked over the heads of the students in front of him.

His creepy yellow eyes surveyed over all of them in turn. As if silently weighing them up. When it was his turn Harry made sure to stare back defiantly. He wouldn't let this guy know how much he intimidated him. It was just like with Snape and Dudley; you never let them get into your head.

* * *

><p>It was with relief that Stein sat down on the platform as the students he'd be teaching made their way over towards him. He had managed to duel Filius successfully and not raise any suspicions whatsoever. He hadn't lost control and ripped the small man apart either! While he had been surprised by the man's speed, he wasn't fast enough to truly worry Stein.<p>

His main weakness when it came to fighting magic users was that he was unable to actually undo any of the spells they perform on him. Shibusen taught their meisters to either block or dodge most blows from Witches and not to put themselves at risk under any circumstances. Of course most Witches were so threatened by Shibusen that they tended to just constantly use lethal spells to combat them, as Stein could attest to.

He almost sighed. It had been far too long since he'd fought someone who could actually kill him. What had it felt like? He couldn't even remember the sensation anymore; the feeling of having to fight his hardest or die. To not just win, but to kill you opponent. It hadn't been since he made Marie a DeathScythe that he'd had an interesting battle.

He looked down at his empty hands; he wasn't even breathing hard.

With more than a little irritation, Stein looked up at the students who had gathered round him. He watched as a few of them shivered under his intense gaze. It was nearly enough to make him smirk. At least he was still intimidating to most of them. His loss to Filius hadn't affected that at least. It would make them much more likely to listen to him this way.

Eventually his gaze ended up on Potter, who simply glared back fiercely. This time Stein did actually smirk. The boy was rather brave to still glare at him after that little display. Or rather stupid, depending on your point of view.

He gave his screw a couple of turns and activated Soul Perception. A small crowd of cute little souls of varying shades of blue stood in front of him. He focused on Potter's and gave it a more intense examination. As he thought that dormant green soul attached to his had practically no influence on him. It was unlikely that Quirinus was using it in any way to keep an eye on him. He'd keep an eye out though, just in case.

Stein allowed his vision to return to normal as silence descended on the students.

"Now it's time for you all to learn how to duel," he began. "I don't know exactly how much you've all learnt at your time here in Hogwarts, but it will be interesting to see at what level you are all at."

He gave them a wide grin. "Lets get started then, shall we?"

He then began to divide the students into pairs, trying to keep those in the same year together. He made especially sure that the twins were separate; he didn't need them adding anymore chaos to go along with the rest of the lesson. He paired George with another one of his pupils, Cedric Diggory, and had paired Fred with a dark skinned girl called Angelina.

Stein didn't know many of the first or second years since he didn't teach them. He paired them off randomly, noting those who were hanging around in clusters.

He quickly spotted the troll trio, hanging near the back together. That certainly wouldn't do.

He almost grinned at the indignant looks on Potter and Weasley's faces as he split them apart. He paired Potter up with some blonde kids and Weasley with a much larger student, rather reminiscent of the troll he had knocked out. Perhaps it was fate?

For a moment Potter seemed as if he would protest, but a glance at the smug look on the blonde boy's face seemed to shut him up for some reason. The two boys took ready positions in front of one another.

For a bit of fun, Stein then paired Granger with a second year student. Now he could see if the praises she had been sung by some of the other teachers in the staffroom actually rang true.

The bushy haired girl seemed to realise she was the only one who had been paired with a student in a higher year than her. She immediately raised her hand.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" Stein asked, barely holding in the desire to sigh.

"Um Professor, I've been paired up with someone in a higher year than me," she said rather quickly. "I'm not really sure if that's fair."

"I see," Stein replied, studying her silently for a moment. "Do you think that you are incapable?"

"Well... he is a year older than me," she said quietly, not willing to show any sort of arrogance in front of a teacher.

Stein tilted his head ever so slightly, holding a hand to his chin in mock thought. "It's just that many of the other teachers often talked favourably about your abilities."

She noticeably perked up at that.

"I thought you would desire a challenge, but if I was wrong I can always pair you with someone else. Perhaps Longbottom?"

The appeal to her pride seemed to work. "Don't worry sir, it'll be fine!" she responded, suddenly resolute; her fists clenched tightly.

The idea of some of her teachers talking about her clearly made her feel somewhat satisfied. She seemed to glow with pride as she stood her ground, ready to duel the older student.

He gave her an encouraging smile. "Good."

"Sir!" the second year student said, putting his hand up much like Granger had just done. "I don't want to be paired up with a little girl! I want to actually learn something!"

Granger went red in the face, as if about to explode with indignation. But she wisely held her tongue in the presence of a teacher.

Stein simply nodded. "Don't worry, I understand completely," he began, in his usual monotone. "She is one of the three first years that managed to knock out a fully grown mountain troll. That is no easy task. It's perfectly understandable that you're too scared to duel her. I'll find another one for you..."

The second year boy took a good, wide-eyed look at Granger. At her much smaller stature, bushy hair, large front teeth and red face. Some form of personal pride seemed to swell within him in response to the image in front of him.

"It's fine Professor. I think I'll manage."

'Twelve year olds, honestly,' Stein thought to himself as he walked away, the two students glaring at one another behind his back.

He walked back to the raised platform where he could see everyone and more importantly they could see him.

"For this duel, there will be certain rules you will have to follow. The winner is the first to disarm their opponent. Professor Flitwick wanted to make it exceptionally clear that no purposeful maiming will be tolerated!" Stein yelled out authoritatively to all the pairs. "I'll be wandering around, helping each pair as I do so. If you're all well behaved I might even teach you a new spell that could come in handy for future meetings at the club."

He looked around at the students, each holding their respective wands in their hands. Even the Weasely twins seemed oddly focused on their opponents; obviously wanting him to teach him his Soul Sutures technique.

As if that would ever happen.

But still, it was clear that learning something from Stein meant much more than it had, now that he had demonstrated his abilities.

He smirked. "Begin!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well I hope you all liked it. Please tell me what you thought worked and what didn't in the reviews. Remember I love to hear what you guys think. If there are any ways you think the story can be improved, any ideas you may have, feel free to say so or send a pm.**

**To answer some questions:**

**Krazyfanfiction1:** I have seen Naruto. That's a very good idea. I wish I'd seen the similarities myself! There will be some interesting things in the future...

**WriterPON3:** In time Harry will be meeting with a few of the other characters. Stein coming out of retirement earlier than he does in the series will have effects on the plot of Soul Eater as well as that of the Wizarding world. Death won't recognise him, but might remember the tale.

**The Keeper of Worlds:**Medusa will have a large part to play in this story, (she is my favourite Soul Eater Villain). I have given a subtle hint so far in the story as to what that role might involve.

**Anyway, I haven't got time for a schedule. I can't promise another update until the middle of May most likely. But regardless, a MASSIVE thank you to everyone who has supported and enjoyed the story so far!**

**Keep an eye on my profile for a more definite time for when I can next update!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry this one took so long to get out. Anyway enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter nor Soul Eater**

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><p><strong>The Philosopher's Stone<br>**

"I mean, I really thought he had me with that hiccupping hex, but a simple flippendo charm made him miss by miles!" Hermione babbled as the trio walked back to the common room.

The young witch had practically been bouncing on the balls of her feet since the duelling club and would not shut up about her duel with the older student. Over her shoulders, Harry exchanged a look with Ron, who was equally exasperated with her tale.

"Then I used a caterwauling curse, I'd only read about it the other day, and it worked _first time_!" she continued, speaking as fast as she had when Harry had first met her on the train.

"We know Hermione, we were there," Harry said grumpily, although she apparently took no notice.

Her duel with the older student had lasted much longer than his or Ron's had done. Almost everyone had watched Hermione and the second year student duel, Malfoy's face in particular had been rather pale during the duel. Hermione obviously read ahead.

"Yes, well," she said pausing, seemingly running out of steam. "You and Ron did really good as well."

Harry felt his face heat up and he walked a little faster, whilst Ron looked uncomfortable.

"Yeah well, Goyle just tried to hit me rather than use any magic," Ron muttered, trying not to look at Harry.

Hermione seemed to pick up on the signals. She stared at the back of Harry's head.

"D-did Malfoy win?" she asked.

Harry didn't respond. Shame and anger warred within him. The look on that smug gits face when he'd managed to knock Harry over was enough humiliation in itself. He just couldn't bring himself to answer Hermione at the moment.

"Harry was faster, it's just that Malfoy knew more spells," Ron explained quietly to Hermione. "I think his dad taught him a few things about duelling before he arrived. I hadn't even heard of a couple of the spells he used. It wasn't Harry's fault."

"But that's unfair!" Hermione cried. "He can't just use his parents expertise when Harry doesn't have-" she quickly stopped, fearing she'd overstepped some boundary.

Harry hadn't heard her however. He was too busy thinking back to that duel. It ran through his mind as he wondered what he could have done differently.

Ron clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Cheer up mate," he said, trying to bring some life back into his friend. "At least we learnt a useful spell at the end of it."

Hermione quickly joined Ron on the other side of Harry.

"Exactly. I think expelliarmus will be very useful someday," she predicted. "Professor Stein said it's one of the most common duelling spells as it's harmless and can pretty much end a duel right then and there, if used correctly."

"And look at it this way, you got the hand of it faster than Malfoy," Ron pointed out. "Just imagine the look on his face when you disarm him instantly at the next meeting."

Harry had to admit, imagining that put a smile on his face.

"We should also probably figure out why Hagrid had a book about dragons," Hermione said. "Maybe he wants to learn more about them?"

"Somehow I doubt that," Ron responded. "I bet he's got one hidden away somewhere and he's trying to figure out how to keep it as a pet."

"Don't be silly Ron. Hagrid isn't that irresponsible!"

Harry smiled. "Thanks guys," he suddenly said, thankful for the first time in his life that he had true friends.

* * *

><p>Stein crossed his arms and looked at Hagrid who was sitting dejectedly on his bed. Every now and then the huge man would bring out a handkerchief the size of a tablecloth and noisily blow his nose. He'd then put it back somewhere in his vast coat of pockets, before he would bring it out again.<p>

"You had a dragon egg?!" Stein clarified, looking rather cross at Hagrid. "I'm pretty sure that's illegal. I would never have pegged you for the law breaking type, Hagrid."

The groundskeeper blew his nose loudly, Stein was sure some of the cutlery on the table rattled, and turned towards the meister with red eyes.

"Oh, 'e was beautiful! Lil' Norbert!"

He blew his nose loudly again.

"Bu-bu' it's fer the best. What do I know 'bout raisin' dragons anyway?" he asked bitterly, before he started wailing again. "Oooooh! Firs' Aragog dies, now Norbert is taken away! Ol' Buckbeak'll be next!"

Stein refused to feel even a little bit guilty for dissecting that giant acromantula. It was probably only a matter of time before some unfortunate student got desiccated by it and its children one day. Not to mention ripping it apart had been far too fun.

"Wait a minute, who took it away?" he questioned, suddenly interested.

"Harry, Ron a' Hermione," Hagrid managed to say, between loudly blowing his nose and wailing about his lost monstrous pet. "Ron's brother works with dragons. Said he'd take good care of him!"

He teared up a little at the end and blowed his nose into the now sodden handkerchief again.

"Of course it would be those three..." Stein chuckled to himself. "Well I'm sure Norbert will be in good hands. Shame I never got to see him..."

Honestly, those three seemed to be magnets for trouble. First the incident with the cerberus, then the troll and now a dragon?! Stein wished he was that lucky. He would loved to have got his hands on Norbert. Just imagining the feel of his newly formed scales on Stein's fingers, the warmth of his throat still unused to breathing fire, the arrangement of it's organs, all bundled up together in their little organic sack.

What would happen if he cut it up? How many limbs can a dragon survive without before succumbing to the pain? It would be interesting to find out-

No! No!

Stein gave his screw a few good clockwise turns. He was getting carried away again. If he kept giving in to his desires so frequently there wouldn't be anything left alive in the forest. Maybe some sort of breeding scheme-

Suddenly a small cat made of pure silver seemed to come out of the fireplace and practically flew onto the table. Stein was up in an instant, Soul perception ready in case it tried to attack.

'What the-?" he thought to himself.

Like the wands used by these people this creature had no soul whatsoever, but it did have a powerful wavelength. Far stronger than that of the wands, it saturated the entire hut, creating a calming feeling in Stein's soul.

'It-it's similar to Marie's...' he realised in utter shock, his eyes widening.

Like whenever he'd spent too much time with Marie, Stein felt the ever present pull of the madness on his concious mind ease off slightly. It was soothing, like a lullaby sung by a parent.

Then to his utter astonishment the creature began to speak in Minerva's voice.

"A faculty meeting has been scheduled for later tonight. Could you please attend as soon as possible Hagrid?" the creature requested. "Thank you."

It then vanished into nothingness, leaving the two staring at where it had just been.

"What was that?" Stein couldn't help but ask.

The calming affect of it's wavelength was quickly vanishing and he wasn't going to be able to contain his curiousity for much longer.

"Wha' that? Tha' was a corperl Patronus," Hagrid explained, rising off his bed. "Extremely advanced magic that! Course ol McGonagall can perform it. We should get going as soon as possible, don't want to keep her waiting."

Stein just nodded and meekly followed after the half-giant and back up to the castle. He agreed that keeping Minerva waiting was a bad idea. That woman had the uncanny ability to make suggestions side just like orders.

But that spell, the Patronus...

What was it's purpose? Hagrid said Minerva's was corporeal. Does that mean there are different types? Wizards were ignorant about Soul Studies, they couldn't possibly be aware of their effects. So what purpose could that spell serve other than for communication?

Stein gave his screw a few more clockwise turns, he needed to calm down before he met the other teachers. It wouldn't do to try and dissect everyone at the staff meeting, it could get him fired.

* * *

><p>"I didn't expect to see you here, Stein," Minerva said with barely concealed hostility. "I didn't send a message down to your chambers."<p>

"I was with Hagrid when we got your patronus," Stein explained calmly. "There's no need to worry, I'll just sit in the corner and not say a word."

He walked past her and into the staffroom. It was a very odd staff meeting. For one thing there were only six others there. Minerva, Pomona, Filius, Quirinus, Severus and now Hagrid and him. They were all looking at him with varying levels of surprise and irritance.

Stein couldn't help but notice the flutter of panic in Hagrid's soul as he apparently realised something that eluded Stein. Was this some sort of secret society meeting? It looked as if he hadn't actually been invited to this one.

Minerva sat down at the head of the table and began to speak.

"Now I've called you all here because Miss Granger and Messrs Potter, Longbottom and Malfoy were all caught out of bed last night at nearly midnight. From what I could tell, Potter and Granger had fed Mr Malfoy some cock and bull story about dragons just so that he would get into trouble when he tried to report it."

"Mr Longbottom tried to stop them but was unable to. Of course I had to punish all of them, we can't play favourites. But still I have never before seen such disrespect and misbehaviour in first years before!" Minerva raved rather angrily. "The sheer nerve of it is appalling! I personally thought better of them then that."

"As did we all," Severus said dryly, the tiniest hint of a smirk just about visible.

Next to him, Stein felt Hagrid sink in to his seat. He clearly felt guilty for having gotten them into trouble for helping him. Stein mentally shrugged and sat back further in his chair. Oh well, at least they hadn't been caught carrying around a live dragon, they'd probably have been expelled.

"But why call a meeting, Minnie?" Pomona asked confused. "It's not that serious an offence."

"I'm afraid that I'll be rather busy for the next few days and won't be able to supervise their detention," Minerva said. "I need someone to cover for me."

Hagrid then stood up, causing the table to move slightly.

"Professer McGonagall, I'll take the detention for yer," he offered vivaciously. "I know you and Dumbledore are busy with protecting the... er..."

The half giant quickly stopped himself upon seeing the horrified looks on some of the professor's faces. Minerva had gone almost pale and was clutching the table tightly. Pomona was looking disapprovingly at Hagrid while Flitwick was frowning. Snape practically sneered at Hagrid, obviously thinking little of the man's intelligence.

"Yes that wil be all Hagrid!" Minerva said shrilly. "I would be very grateful if you could supervise their detention for me. I'll leave their form of punishment up to you. You and Professor Stein should go and tend to that."

Stein was beginning to get the impression they wanted him gone. Clearly so that they could discuss whatever it was that the Cerberus was guarding. At least he now knew who was in on the secret. Quirinus was proving himself to be surprisingly competent; actually managing to be part of the people supposedly guarding whatever it was they were hiding behind Hagrid's pet.

"Sorry fer draggin' yer there," Hagrid apologised as they left. "Didn' realise it was fer my ears only."

"Mistakes happen," Stein said calmly, lighting a cigarette. "So I take it you feel somewhat responsible for those children's predicament?"

Hagrid looked sheepish.

"Well it were my fault they were out of bed in the first place!" he said, rather cross with himself. "The least I can do is make sure they don't suffer too much for it. Honestly, I feel bad fer getting em into trouble, it's the least I can do."

Stein smiled.

"Well I'm sure they'll appreciate you looking out for them..."

* * *

><p>"Are you mad?!" Hermione yelled out in horror. "It's against school rules!"<p>

"You can't possibly expect us to go in there!" Malfoy exclaimed, clearly terrified. He may not get on well with Granger, but even he had to agree that this was a bad idea.

"Memeh," Neville whimpered, staring forwards into the shadows.

Harry said nothing, but even he was eyeing the shadows of the trees, his body taut as if something was about to jump out at them any second. Stein was almost impressed.

"Oh relax, will ya?" Hagrid said, coming out of his hut with Fang at his heel, a quiver of arrows over his shoulder and a big crossbow in his arms. "Ain't nothin gonna hurt yeh while me an' Professer Stein are here."

Neville's face paled even further and he gripped Harry's sleeve dealthy tight.

"You shouldn't be too friendly with them, Hagrid," Filch said coldly. "It doesn't do to get... attached."

"Alrigh' yeh've done yer bit," Hagrid yelled, annoyed at surly caretaker. "Go on back to the castle! Be off with yer!"

"I'll be back at dawn," Filch responded, turning his back to the forest. "To collect the remains."

The children shivered as the caretaker cackled to himself, hobbling slowly all the way back to the castle.

As soon as Filch was gone, Malfoy turned towards Hagrid.

"You can't make me go in there," he stated firmly, a note of panic in his voice. "I'm not going in there!"

"Yeh will if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," said Hagrid. "Yeh've done wrong and now yeh have ter pay fer it."

Malfoy looked over towards Stein for support. He was leaning against a nearby tree with his arms crossed, looking into the forest, interest clear on his face.

"I thought we'd be writing lines or something! This is dangerous, you can't make kids do it!" Malfoy protested. "There's all sorts of monsters in there! If my Father knew-"

"-he'd tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid interrupted. "It's not like yeh'll be alone. Both me and Professer Stein will be making sure no harm comes to any of yer."

"Think of it this way," Stein piped in with his usual monotone. "Yes the forest is filled with dangerous creatures, but you'll be travelling with two people that are even more dangerous than they are." Stein smiled reassuringly at the children. "They wouldn't dare try and harm you students in our presence."

That seemed to quell some of their anxiety.

"Well said," Hagrid complemented. "Now follow me, keep close together an' I'll explain what we'll be doin'."

They walked slowly towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid in front and Stein at the back. A cold wind blew through the trees, making the chidren shiver.

"Ah! Yeh see this?" Hagrid cried triumphantly. "See that silvery stuff on the ground? That's unicorn blood, that. A unicorn's bin hurt badly by summat. This is the fourth time this week. I found the other three, and... let me tell yeh it wasn't pretty."

Stein did his best to look nonchalant.

"Since this one's still injured, we're gonna try an' find it; put it out of it's misery if we have ter."

"But what if whatever finds the unicorn finds us first?" Malfoy asked, his voice shaking.

"I assure you Mr Malfoy, there is a big difference between being able to take down a unicorn and being able to take down either me or Hagrid," Stein explained, his voice unnaturally calm. "You'll be perfectly safe."

'From me at least,' Stein thought to himself. 'But... _three_ unicorns? Maybe this trip will be interesting after all.'

"Hagrid?" Potter suddenly asked. "Could a werewolf be killing the unicorns?"

"No, they're not fast enough," Hagrid said. "I don' understand it myself. Why would anyone want to kill something so pure... so gentle?'

'Gentle?' Stein thought irritated. 'Like hell. That horn isn't just for show!'

"We'll be splitting up to cover more ground," Hagrid ordered, his lantern illuminating his face. "Stein, you lead Malfoy and Harry down here, and I'll take Hermione an' Neville."

"I want Fang as well!" Malfoy suddenly cried out to Potter's clear disgust.

Hagrid shrugged.

"Alright, but he's a coward," he said. "Now if any of yer find the unicorn, shoot up green sparks into the air. Yeh all know how to do that?"

There was a chorus of nods from the children.

"Right! Now send up the sparks an' we'll come and find yeh. Alright? Be careful then."

Hagrid nodded to Stein and the scientist began to lead Potter and Malfoy down one path, while Hagrid took Hermione and Neville down another. Out of the corner of his eye, Stein caught Harry looked back longingly at Hagrid and the others until their little light disappeared and all he could see was the darkness between the trees.

Oh well, it wasn't like anything could hurt the two boys when he was watching them. Other than him of course.

* * *

><p>The Forest was eerily silent. All the little sounds that Harry had expected to hear, birds or insects or even small animals scurrying around, were nowhere to be heard. That couple with the darkness gave the Forest a creepy and oppressive feel to it. Why anyone would want to sneak in here was utterly beyond Harry.<p>

Stein was in front of them, their only source of light coming from the lantern he was carrying. Next to him, Malfoy walked silently with Fang. He was looking everywhere, as if a werewolf was about to jump out at them from the darkness.

As much as Harry was loather to agree with Malfoy on anything, he had to admit that he was rather nervous as well. All he could see beyond their little bubble of light were the shadows of nearby trees, his imagination twisting them into horrific monsters.

"So how are you two finding the duelling club?" Stein asked suddenly. "I hope you're enjoying yourselves."

Harry was a little confused as to why he was asking about this now, but the sudden smug grin on Malfoy's face quickly made him forget.

"It's been rather enlightening so far, Professor," Malfoy said eloquently, some of the fear vanishing to make way for pompousness. "I think it's always good that people really know just who is superior in the duelling arts."

Harry glared at Malfoy's smug face, almost wishing for a werewolf to attack him just to get rid of it. It wasn't his fault that Malfoy had known about magic for longer than him, not to mention that his father had clearly been giving him tips over the Christmas holidays. Harry hadn't even recognised a couple of the spells he used!

"Well that's good to hear. How are you finding it Harry?" Stein asked, turning slightly to look at the boy.

"Err, it's been pretty good," Harry said, wondering when he started reffering to him by his first name.

Harry also couldn't shake off the feeling that Stein was leading them out here for another more malicious reason. If he was planning on stealing the stone, then it made sense to get rid of potential witnesses, right?

He couldn't help but feel as if somewhere out further in the forest Hermione was calling him an idiot.

"Hold on," Stein suddenly called out to them, making the two boys stop.

The professor bent down, examining something on the ground. It glinted and shone in the lamplight.

"More unicorn blood," Stein muttered. "Looks like we picked the right way. This looks pretty fresh, it must be close by."

Crank! Crank!

Both Malfoy and Harry jumped as he turned that weird screw in his head. Malfoy glanced around quickly, as if he'd just alerted the whole forest to their position. Stein then stood up again.

"This way, I think it went over here."

The two children, and one dog, followed the man closely as he abandoned the path. They walked in silence for a few minutes, every now and then a sliver of unicorn blood was present on a nearby leaf or on the ground.

"Hold on," Stein said, holding his arm out as they approached a clearing. "There it is."

When Harry had first heard of unicorns, he'd just been expecting a horse with a horn on it's head. The reality was both more beautiful and yet sadder than he could have imagined.

The creature had a gorgeous, pure white coat that looked like fallen snow and was lying on it's side as if only sleeping. Although that it was dead was obvious. Glazed, milky eyes stared into another world, signifying the majestic creature's passing.

What Harry saw next however, made him gasp.

A dark, cloaked figure was leaning over the unicorn, horrendous slurping and tearing sounds coming from it's position. It's face was right in the flesh of the unicorn, eating it... no drinking it's blood!

At that point, Malfoy screamed causing Fang to howl as well. The figure immediately turned towards them, nothing but darkness visible under its hood. Malfoy turned and ran for it, Fang on his heels.

Before Harry could get a better look at whoever-whatever it was, his vision was filled with a stitched labcoat. Stein was standing in front of him; wand drawn and his lantern discarded to one side.

"Stay back, Potter," Stein commanded, his voice suddenly stern. "I'll take care of this."

The figure seemed hesitant all of a sudden, staring at Stein as if unable to decide whether or not to attack. Suddenly, Harry heard the professor chuckle darkly.

"So it's you is it? I almost didn't recognise you. Well isn't that interesting? I wonder what it is you're planning to do?"

The figure suddenly seemed to come alive at this. One of it's robed arms, suddenly shot forwards and sent a jet of light behind them. There was a squeal of pain from Malfoy far behind them, and for a moment Stein turned around.

"Shit!" he swore, distracted for a moment.

But that was all it needed. Within an instant it practically flew away into the forest, causing Stein to yell. The professor visiby grunted, torn between making sure Malfoy was alright and chasing after the creature. Duty won in the end and Stein ran back to make sure the eleven year old was still breathing.

Before Harry could even understand everything that had just happened, there was a noise and something massive leaped over a nearby log. It trotted around the clearing like it was patrolling, it's four hooves clacking against the satisfied that the hooded figure had been driven off, it slowly walked towards Harry.

Harry backpedalled furiously, before he felt his back hit a tree and he couldn't go back any light of the fallen lantern illuminated the creature as it walked forward. It had the upper body of a man and the lower body of a horse, it was a centaur!

"Harry Potter," it said, it's voice sounding deep and kind. "I am pleased to see that you are unharmed."

Harry tried to find his voice.

"H-how do you-"

There was a crackle of electricity and the next thing Harry knew the centaur was swiftly backing off, it's eyes wild as Professor Stein had practically materialised between the two of them, his wand glowing a blinding yellow and his eyes hard.

"Professor!" Harry yelled out in alarm. "It's alright, he wasn't going to hurt me!"

Stein's gaze didn't shift from the centaur for an instant.

"Is this true?" he asked the centaur, his voice deathly cold.

Not for the first time, Harry felt terrified at the idea of facing this man in any sort of fight.

"It is," it said, holding it's arms up. "My name is Firenze and I was unaware that Harry Potter was under guard. I apologise for my impudence."

Slowly, Stein visibly relaxed. The glow from his wand vanished as he stood up straight.

"Well then Firenze," Stein began. "What do you know about that creature that was feeding off of the unicorn?"

The centaur seemed to hesitate.

"I shouldn't speak of this. We centaurs do not often interfere with what the planets have written," Firenze said, glancing around nervously.

"Yet you still interfered," Stein pointed out. "What do you know? Why would someone be drinking unicorn bood?"

That was a question Harry wanted to know the answer to. Firenze blinked his big blue eyes, before leaning down towards the two to speak.

"It is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," he spoke quietly. "Only one who has nothing to lose, yet everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You will live a hlaf-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touchs your lips."

"So what would be the point?" Stein wondered, putting a hand to his chin in thought. "Unless it's only temporary..."

"Yes," said Firenze. "If you only needed to stay alive to drink something else - something that will make it so that you can never die."

"The Philosopher's Stone - the Elixir of Life!" Harry realised, causing the two to turn towards him. He then quailed, noticing the look his teacher was giving him. "We did some investigating, and we figured it out... er... sorry."

Stein smiled.

"It's fine," he said, before turning back to the centaur. "So do you know who that was?"

"Only someone who has waited many years, clung to life with the barest tips of their fingers, waiting for their chance to return," Firenze noted.

The revelation struck Harry like a blow from a hammer. Hagrid's scared and hesitant words seemed to float back to him at that moment.

"You mean," Harry practically choked, "that was Vol-"

A loud galloping interrupted his sentence. Two more centaurs leapt into the clearing, quickly surrounding Harry and Stein. These two had bows in their hands and a quiver of arrows strapped to their backs.

"Firenze!" one with a black beard yelled angrily. "What are you doing?! We are not to interfere in human affairs!"

He spat the word human like it was a curse.

"Bane, I-" Firenze began.

"Why have you revealed your presence to them?! Do you have no respect for the beiefs of your own people?! I am ashamed at your thoughtlessness!"

"It was only right!" Firenze answered back, suddenly angry. "You may want to do nothing and obey the signs of the planets, but there is a great threat in this Forest! One that wants to plunge the entire world back into darkness!"

"The affairs of humans aren't our business!" Bane practically roared, before turning towards Stein and Harry. "Why do you roam our forest? Speak!"

He advanced on them, causing Harry to instinctively look for an avenue of escape. He was a good few feet taller than the already rather tall professor, so Harry kept his mouth shut and let his teacher handle it.

"We were tracking something that had been killing the unicorns in this forest," Stein explained in his usual bored monotone, "but it got away from me before I could kill it. I apologise for any transgression on our part."

This seemed to somewhat satisfy Bane.

"Very well. We will allow you this exception," he stated cordially, although with a still hostile air. "You are with your foals, we will not harm you provided you leave at once."

"Of course," Stein responded cordially.

'Wait, foals?' Harry thought to himself, before instinct told him to turn around.

There, hiding behind the tree so as to be nearly invisible was a shaking Draco Malfoy, who Harry had to admit he'd forgotten about in all the chaos.

"What do they mean, 'their territory'?" Malfoy whispered rather angrily. "We wizards are the ones who let them live here."

Harry practically goggled at the proud boy's stupidity. Even if he was scared and angry at the situation, that didn't excuse him for being suicidal! Honestly, how did he lose to this idiot?

But the real shame, Harry reflected, was that the centaurs heard him.

Snarling in rage, Bane and the other unnamed centaur would have charged towards Malfoy, who wisely backed away, had Stein and Firenze not quickly stepped in the way.

"How dare you!" Bane screamed, his face twisted with rage. "I should kill you where you stand!"

"They are but foals, Bane!" Firenze pleaded. "Don't let your pride get in the way of your sensibilities!"

"So you are happy with being treated like this?!" Bane spat. "Like some common mule by these arrogant wizards?! Foals or not, we should slay them right here for such impudence!"

"He insulted us, Firenze!" the other centaur said, who was also rather angry although not to the extent of Bane. "Not just us, but our whole tribe! We can't take that lying down!"

"I assure you, he will be punished when we return to the school," Stein responded, his voice still unnervingly calm.

"As if we would trust the word of one of your kind!" Bane snarled, taking an arrow out of his quiver and stringing it.

Harry's eyed the weapon with worry, Stein quickly stepping between the centaur and him with Malfoy.

"Bane!" the other centaur yelled, alarmed.

"I'm sick of the attitudes of these wizards, Ronan!" Bane roared.

"You can't do this, Bane!" Firenze said, his face contorted with rage. "They'll drive us out if you murder a student!"

The arrowhead turned to face Firenze.

"Then this is the moment you choose, Firenze," he said, voice dangerously low. "You've always been too close to those humans. You've always been so happy to talk to that half-giant! Now you choose where your loyalties lie! It's us or them!"

Silence reigned in the clearing. Harry made sure to grip his wand. He'd been practicing _expelliarmus _in hopes of suprising Malfoy next time he had to duel him. Maybe if he was quick, he could get rid of that bow. Harry bent to try to get a good look at Firenze while moving as little as possible.

The poor centaur looked utterly distraught with the choice of leaving behind his only home. For the first time Harry noticed the lack of wrinkles on Firenze's face. The slightly softer sheen to the fur on his back.

Just how young was Firenze in centaur terms?

"I-"

A soft exhale.

Harry and Malfoy blinked.

The centaurs blinked.

Professor Stein had just lit a cigarette and a small line of smoke was lazily curling upwards into the branches above them. Bane and Ronan looked at the man, as if unable to process what he was doing.

"This is rather quite fascinating," Stein said, his voice quivering as he lifted a hand to turn his screw.

Crank! Crank!

Firenze actually winced, while Bane looked at Stein as if only truly seeing him for the first time.

"As amusing as this argument is, you're working on some seriously flawed assumptions. First, that they would only attempt to drive you out. That rather irritating little boy you just threatened to kill happens to be the son of one of the chairman of the school; who not only is the head of a very old, very rich family but also happens to have significant pull in the Ministry of Magic. Face it, you'd be hunted to extermination without trial."

Harry practically gaped. Malfoy's dad was _that _important?! No wonder the boy was so insufferable; having to live up to that pressure must be hard. Of course that didn't mean that Harry would be friends with him. He was still a git.

"Second, that putting a young centaur, or any being for that matter, on the spot while threatening him will actually help your cause. If you hadn't noticed, your friend over there, Ronan I believe, doesn't seem to share the same convictions that you do. After you kill the boy, the smart move would be to declare you an outcast and say you commited the murder on your own rather than implicate the whole herd. Meaning you will be the only one to suffer for the crime. By the way, your tendency to fly off the handle at the mildest of insults suggests some deep-rooted psychological problems. You should probably talk to someone about it."

Harry would have actually laughed if he wasn't so terrified. He was convinced that any second now, Bane would shoot his teacher through the throat, yet it continued to not happen. Bane just kept staring stupidly at Stein, who had stitches across half of his face as well a huge screw through his head, like he had just realised the man had been there.

"And third..."

Here Stein let out a quiet little chuckle. It was so low and quiet, carried only by the slight breeze that was sweeping through the forest that Harry barely heard it. He felt the small hairs on the back of his neck rise. It was the kind of sound a predator let out just before pouncing on it's prey. It crept through Harry's body, up his spine and into his brain where it pressed that little button labelled 'Primal Terror'.

Judging from the look of terror on Malfoy's face, he'd heard it as well. Not to mention the smell.

"... you assume that it's actually possible for you to harm him when I'm here."

Harry couldn't see the look he gave the centaurs, but it couldn't have been good. Ronan actually backed away a couple of steps while Firenze just stared. Bane immediately pointed the bow, Harry noticed his arms were shaking, at Stein who didn't flinch.

"And who are you to interfere with our affairs?!" Bane demanded. "Some wizard from some foreign lands?! You're all the same!"

"Not quite..." Stein said, before taking a deep drag on his cigarette and blowing out.

The smoke curled and twisted gracefully in the air. Harry strained to see, looking around Stein. He just caught what looked like the image of a skull fading away into normal smoke, before dissipating entirely.

"You're all free to go," Bane said very quickly, lowering his bow. "Come, Ronan, Firenze."

The three centaurs practically galloped off, as if trying to put as much distance between themselves and Stein as physically possible. Harry stared after them, internally wondering what on Earth could have made their faces go so pale?

"So then kids..." Stein's voice had returned to it's usual upbeat tone as he turned around to look at the two students.

Walking over towards them he knelt down and placed a hand on each of their heads, a kind smile on his face.

"... what have we learned today?"

* * *

><p>"YOU SENT THEM INTO THE FORBIDDEN FOREST?!" Minerva screeched at Hagrid, who had the decency to look ashamed.<p>

Dumbledore's office wasn't particularly large and Hagrid's already ample frame just served to make the room look even smaller. The headmaster himself sat at his desk; peering at Hagrid over his half-moon spectacles, his mood unreadable even to Stein.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO THEM?! THEY COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!"

Hagrid twisted his handkerchief, not meeting the woman's eyes.

"S'rry professer," he mumbled like a schoolboy. "I thought they could handle it."

"It doesn't matter whether or not they could handle it," Minerva said through gritted teeth. "You put a group of eleven year olds in danger! By Merlin's beard, if Stein hadn't been there as well we could have deaths on our hands!"

"Not to mention the school might have been sued," Stein chirped happily from his seat.

A myriad of confused glances came his way.

"Nevermind," he said dejectedly, turning his screw a couple more times.

So suing didn't exist in the wizarding world? That... actually explained quite a bit.

Minerva turned her full force back to Hagrid.

"I think he gets the general gist of it, Minerva," Dumbledore interrupted gently, before she could continue on her tirade.

The deputy head deflated somewhat, but settled for sending Hagrid some stern looks from across the room.

"Hagrid," Dumbledore chastised calmly. "Just because they don't attack you doesn't necessarily mean they won't attack children. If you want to take over from Silvanus someday, it would be wise to remember this."

"O' course Dumbledore," Hagrid responded, somehow managing to look even more despondent than he did before.

"Now on to other matters," Dumbledore laced his fingers together. "Did you find out what it was that was killing the unicorns?"

"We have an idea," Stein said, leaning back in his chair. "It looked like a person and was definitely carrying a wand. They shot a spell at Mr Malfoy, but fortunately missed and only caused him to trip up. That distraction allowed them to get away, however."

"I see," Dumbledore responded, piercing electric blue eyes on Stein. "You look as if there is more you wish to say."

'Perceptive.'

Stein grinned and spoke.

"The Philosopher's Stone."

The reaction was immediate. Hagrid nearly stood up while Minerva's eyes went wide and her right arm twitched. Only Dumbledore remained steadfast, utterly unmoved, with only a hint of a smile on his lips.

"Your reactions confirmed it," Stein said, trying not to sound too smug. "That's what you've been hiding under that guard dog on the third floor with the rather shoddy security."

"How'd yer find out?" Hagrid asked, looking rather confused. "And don't talk bad abou' Fluffy!"

"I heard Potter mutter about it while we were in the forest," Stein explained. "It seems he's been doing his own investigating."

This time even Dumbledore seemed rather surprised.

"That's utterly preposterous," Minerva said. "How would a first year, let alone one new to magic, even find out about it?"

Hagrid tried hard not to be noticed.

"I believe you're telling the truth," Dumbledore spoke, his voice silencing the room. "Harry and his friends have been rushing around all year, although I wasn't quite aware why."

The headmaster's eyes flickered towards Hagrid, who went red-faced.

"Do you believe we should alter the defences?" Minerva asked, suddenly concerned. "We don't want them getting hurt. I suggest a more advanced locking spell and an explicit warning to Potter not to involve himself."

"I believe that altering them now would ultimately do more harm than good," Dumbledore said calmly. "Fluffy is well trained to not harm the students; only to scare them off." He looked at Stein. "This is in order to dissuade some of the more... adventurous pupils from making choices they would later regret."

"Interesting," Stein noted, smiling.

"Forgive me if I ask, but what is it that interests you so?" Dumbledore asked, the corner of his mouth upturned.

"It can be inferred that if Potter knows about the defences, then others do as well," Stein said, his voice back into it's usual monotone. "You hide an object of incredible magical power, so much so that it can give immortality, behind a door locked with so few magical defences a first year could get through. Then, after knowing your outermost defences might be compromised, you refuse to change them. That can only mean that you're not concerned about someone breaking through them."

There was nothing but silence as Stein looked up at Dumbledore. Pale yellow met electric blue as Stein spoke.

"You want them to get through, the whole thing is an enormous trap."

Silence met Stein's declaration. If he had looked around, he'd have seen Minerva's surprised look along with Hagrid's confusion at the situation.

Dumbledore chuckled, a triumphant glint in his eye.

"I knew you were bright when we first met, but you still managed to surprise me," he said, smiling good-naturedly. "You are... mostly correct, with only a couple of small things that you couldn't possibly have known."

Stein inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He'd half-thought he was going to have to fight his way out of the school.

"First, that the stone was ever in the corridor when the only spell keeping the door shut was so simple a first year could open it. I know how the average Hogwarts troublemaking student thinks; I was one myself back in the day. I left it deliberately easy to penetrate for the first few months in order to dissuade the more curious students from investigating further."

Dumbledore smiled fondly, as if in memory.

"They would open the door, come face to face with Fluffy, and believe that there was nothing more to that room than it housing a creature of... questionable legality. I am, after all, quite mad. They would then forget the matter and focus on other things; such as how to sneak into the Forbidden Forest, or even the staff common room."

Stein smirked. The man was smart, knowing how his students thought, he'd give him that.

"After the defences had been fully prepared and the stone was placed deep within the chambers, then a much more advanced locking mechanism could be placed. We know someone powerful is after the stone; our rather fortunate timing of moving it from it's Gringotts vault proves that."

Here the man frowned.

"Therefore we could justify a more advanced locking spell that no student could penetrate and most likely, only the one who is actually trying to steal the stone will attempt to get through it. The trap will then be sprung and detain him long enough for me to get there and apprehend him personally."

"Very clever," Stein noted, but then added with a hint of caution. "But why are you telling me all of this? For all you know I could be the one who's after the stone."

"I don't believe you're after the stone," Dumbledore replied seriously. "Call it the poor rationalisations of an old man, but you remind me of someone I met a long time ago. You two are very similar, I believe, yet also very different."

His serious tone then vanished, as he addressed them all.

"Well it's been an exciting night. I do believe we should all go straight off to bed and rest for whatever trials tomorrow brings."

The obvious dismissal clear, Stein nodded and stood up to leave the room along with Hagrid. Minerva stayed to exchange a few more words with Dumbledore; her tone rather panicked.

Not really in the mood to care, Stein left the office and said his goodbyes to Hagrid. Now he had a new day to look forward to. When Quirrel made his move and the trap was sprung he might finally get to carve that man up. Stein really wanted to take a good look at his dual souls. If he had to wait for the guy to be in the privacy of the chambers to do so... then all the better.

* * *

><p>The students were scurrying around the castle like mice in a maze. Exams weren't too far away for all years and tensions were beginning to run high. As time went on, the number of pranks being pulled seemed to go down and the number of students studying silently in the library went up.<p>

People were losing their patience with one another, even the professors were cracking down hard on the students for formally minor offenses. With the time of the exams nigh, it was no wonder that many of them were losing their calm.

'I'm going to kill him,' Stein thought to himself, marching back towards his chambers. 'I'm going to dissect him, and I don't care if his family is there!'

In his hand he held a crumpled piece of paper he'd just received by owl at breakfast this morning.

It read:

Dear Dr Stein,

Hi! It's me again! Sorry to bother you on your mission, but you need to come back to Shibusen right away!

Papa won't tell me why, but it's really important that you do!

Thank you!

Sincerely

Maka Albarn.

He hadn't really had much time during the day to respond what with numerous clinics and last minute revision sessions for his students, but finally the day was over. Now, he could tear a new one into Spirit!

What could beso important that he couldn't just tell him over the mirror anyway?

Stein made sure his room was locked before breathing onto the mirror and writing Death's number. As usual the mirror gleamed with light before coalescing into the image of Lord Death himself.

"Heyo! What's up Stein, my boy?!" Death asked, bouncing around with his usual vigour.

"I need to talk to Spirit," Stein said casually. "I believe he said it was an emergency."

"Huh?" Death tilted his head. "That's odd, he never mentioned anything... I'll call him!"

Stein's eyes narrowed.

'Odd, why would Lord Death not know?' Stein thought, speculating. 'Is it something personal he doesn't want to talk about? Maybe his first grey hair? It better actually be an emergency...'

Within a few moments a rather hassled looking Spirit stepped into the frame.

"Yeah? What is it, Stein? Lord Death said it was urgent."

Stein showed the paper to him.

"Please explain to me why I received this post by owl, despite specifically telling you not to ever owl me again. Then please tell me what it is you need from me that is so urgent that I have to immediately return to Shibusen," Sten replied, a tinge on irritation in his tone.

Spirit's eyes glanced over the small piece of paper before narrowing.

"Stein, Maka never wrote that letter. It's her handwriting definitely, but she can't possibly have gotten that to you," Spirit's eyes were hard and cold, he was in full DeathScythe mode. Someone impersonating his ten year old daughter was apparently enough to bring out the serious side in him.

"Ah, so I take it there's no emergency then?"

"None whatsoever, but I'm probably going to pop home and check to make sure."

"Alright, I think I have a little investigating of my own to do. Thank you Spirit, you've been very helpful."

The red haired man nodded, before turning away from the mirror as it returned back to normal.

Stein turned away, sat down and began to think. If Spirit hadn't delievered the letter and Maka hadn't written it, who had? It was in her handwriting, which was both intriguing and disturbing?

What had he done with that first letter anyway? Hadn't he destroyed it?

'No,' he suddenly remembered. 'I was going to do so, but then that was the night I went into the Forest. It must have slipped my mind.'

So where was the letter then? It should still have been in sight if he had never destroyed it.

_There were some slight disturbances in the room. Certain books weren't in the exact same places that he left them._

_"Well sir, technically we never broke into your personal quarters," Fred said, looking at his twin for support._

_"Just your office," George supplied helpfully._

'Someone broke into my personal quarters,' Stein thought to himself. 'I thought it was the twins, but they were adamant they didn't do it. A letter from Maka goes missing, a letter that contains a small amount of information about Shibusen, and now another letter from Maka appears, yet she didn't write it.'

He smirked and bounded out of his chair, heading straight for the third floor corridor. It looked like Quirrel had been smarter than he let on; he wanted Stein out of the castle for tonight. His little plan would have actually worked if it hadn't been for the mirror, something he couldn't possibly know about.

'How much would I want to bet that Dumbledore received a rather similar letter?'

Stein slammed open the door to Fluffy's chamber, noting the utter lack of any protection spells on the door. Fluffy turned towards him and growled.

The trapdoor was open.

Smirking, Stein quite easily avoided the cerberus and dropped down into the hole. He fell for an uncomfortably long time, before reaching a tangled mess of what looked like really thick vines. Standing on top of them, he watched as the tendrils crept towards him, wrapping round his legs and trying to pull him down into them.

'Looks like Pomona's work,' he noted casually.

Channeling his wavelength, he placed his crackling hands onto the Devil's Snare. It ripped the entire thing apart quite easily, allowing the scientist to drop down into the passageway below.

Stein practically flew downwards through the stone passageway until he reached a large room with a very high ceiling. A large number of keys with little wings appeared to be flying around above him. A couple of broomsticks were sitting rather smugly in the corner.

It was rather obvious what he would have to do.

'Like hell,' Stein thought to himself walking up towards the door, his entire body practically crackling with yellow arcs of electricity.

It didn't matter if he set off any alarms, it wasn't like he was actually interested in the stone...

Well ok, maybe he was a little, but then Quirrel could take the fall for him when he found the little sneak.

The door exploded outwards, whatever protective wards and spells on it unable to stop the sheer force of his wavelength. Stein walked calmly into the next chamber and halted instantly.

"You have got to be kidding..." he muttered.

The entire room was in pitch darkness along with a fe other spells probably concealing the door. In the middle, the only lit place in the room, was a giant chessboard with the pieces set ready to play.

"Only Minerva could up with something this irritating and time consuming."

But there was someone lying in the middle of the chessboard...

What on Earth was Ron Weasley doing down here?!

Rushing over to the unconscious boy, Stein checked his pulse and then his soul.

The boy was alive, but he'd been knocked out by something. What that was, Stein didn't really know. Had Potter and his friends gotten through here as well? Typical.

Expanding the range of his soul perception, Stein could feel the soul of Hermione Granger a couple of rooms over along with that of Potter another room away from that, along with Quirrel.

He'd have to hurry.

"Sorry Mr Weasley," Stein said out loud, putting the boy in the recovery position. "But I'll be back for you once I've dissected Quirrel."

Using his soul perception as a guide, Stein was able to ignore the various spells of concealment and misdirection and make it to the door.

He slowly opened the door, and came face to face with a large troll. It was almost twice the size of the one that Weasley had knocked out, and it was sporting a rather large lump on it's head.

It also seemed rather unhappy to see him. It roared and began to run towards him, raising it's club over it's head.

"Well aren't you a real beauty," Stein breathed, taking in the troll's muscle structure as well as the finer details of it's soul. "I'm sorry, but I don't have time to play with you."

He simply lifted his hand as it roared and brought it's club down as hard as it could. With a huge impact, the troll's club went fllying out of it's hand and the troll was knocked to the ground. It stupidly lifted it's head, as if unable to comprehend what had just happened, and that was the last thing it ever did.

It's head fell back onto the ground, lifeless.

As much as he'd _love _to dissect it right now, the idea of dissecting Quirrel's strange double soul was even more tempting.

Stein calmly walked towards the door and opened it.

"Ah, hello Miss Granger," he said to the terrified looking girl right outside the door. "What exactly are you doing here?"

"I- you," the girl blinked back terrified tears, before apparently finding her voice. "You are here to steal it! _Expelliarmus_!" she roared, pointing her wand at him.

The jet of light hit Stein point-blank, doing absolutely nothing. He almost laughed at the horrified look on her face.

"Next time, you might want to make sure that I'm actually carrying a weapon when you use that spell," he chuckled, rather amused. "It's alright, I understand you panicked. But I am in fact here for the opposite reason. Someone tried to send me away tonight, so I checked and what do you know? The trap door was open."

Hermione seemed to calm down a little at this. Stein gave her an encouraging smile.

"Now, why don't you tell me what you and Mr Weasley are doing down here?"

And so burst forth a tale, told very quickly, about how they figured out that the Philosopher's Stone was waht was hidden and how Snape was trying to steal it and kill Harry then return the stone to revive his master and how Harry went on ahead alone to confront him.

"-and-and I was going to go back for Ron, but the troll had woken up and I-I-I just couldn't move, it was so big, but I was just about to go I swear! I wouldn't just leave him there! I swear I wouldn't-" she babbled, nearly in tears again.

Stein inwardly sighed. It appeared her last encounter with a troll had given her a phobia of the creatures; something Marie told him that happened to normal, more well-adjusted people than him.

Trying to calm down the near-hysterical eleven year old, Stein gave her the most encouraging smile he could as well as knelt down and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright, I understand completely," he stated calmly. "You can go through now; the troll isn't going to bother you. I'll go get Harry and deal with 'Snape'."

"Is the troll dead?"

"Very."

She smiled at him, although her soul showed she was feeling upset that she was happy it was dead.

Kids...

The girl ran right past him and out the door.

"By the way, Professor! It's the smallest one!" she yelled, before taking a very wide route around the troll to get to the next chamber.

"What did she mean by that?" Stein wondered, looking around for the next puzzle.

As soon as he walked into the middle of the chamber, coloured flames suddenly appeared, blocking both the entrance and the exit. A table with a number of different sized potions appeared, along with a note.

'This looks like Severus's handiwork,' Stein thought to himself, reading the clue on the paper. 'A logical puzzle! I knew that man was smart! So Granger said it was the smallest one, huh?'

Downing the smallest potion in a single gulp, Stein confidently stepped through the black flames that blocked the entrance to the next chamber.

* * *

><p>"...once I have the Elixir of life..." a voice echoes through the hall as Stein descended the steps.<p>

A large mirror stood in the centre of the chamber, along with Quirrel, who had taken off his turban, and Harry.

"...I will be able to create a body of my own..."

"What? Out of gold?" Stein spoke up, drawing the attention of both Quirrel and Harry. "That would be interesting to see."

Harry looked appropriately terrified at the face on the back of Quirrel's head. So that was why he wore a turban. A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body. All three were linked, affect one and you affect the others.

Quirrel drew his wand at roughly the same time Stein drew his own.

"What are _you _doing here? You should be gone!" he yelled, somehow managing to sound both angry and terrified.

"... have you failed me again, Quirinus?" the face on the back of his head asked.

Stein saw his soul practically quiver at this.

"I will correct this error at once, my lord," he said, turning to face Stein.

"It was rather clever of you, taking that letter and using it to try and send me away," Stein complimented, walking down a couple more steps. "The only thing I don't understand is what motivated you?"

Here Quirrel drew himself up proudly.

"I am no longer one of Dumbledore's lackeys. No longer do I serve that foolish old man blindly! My new master has taught me the truth: there is no good or evil, only power! My new master who I owe everything to, who even after his death the world still fears to whisper his name. Who will soon rise again and rule the world once more - the Dark Lord Voldemort!"

"... who?"

In the ensuing silence, Stein could have sworn he heard a rush of air.

"You _dare _mock my master?!" Quirrel spat, eyes suddenly aflame with fury; not all of it his own.

"No, I honestly haven't heard of him," Stein stated truthfully. "It's french isn't it? Flight-from-death; or is it flight-of-death?"

"Be _silent!_" Quirrel demanded. "I shall not allow you to get to me any longer!"

"'There is no good or evil, only power?' It's good to know you have the moral philosophy of a six year old," Stein said in monotone. "I was almost worried my opponent would be intelligent."

Despite the tense situation, even Harry seemed to find that one somewhat amusing. Quirrel's face, on the other hand, was red with rage.

He pointed his wand and suddenly his wavelength shifted. Stein watched wide-eyed as both Voldemort and Quirrel's soul wavelength shifted as he spoke.

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

A green jet of light shot out of the end of his wand towards Stein. Channeling his own wavelength, Stein swung his glowing wand in an arc right into the oncoming spell.

Bang!

Stein stumbled back as bits of his wand fell around him. He clenched his slightly burnt hand as he took stock of what happened. The thing had completely shattered on contact of that spell, unable to withstand the conflicting wavelengths.

'That- that was-' Stein realised, staring at Quirrel in astonishment.

"You truly are lucky," Quirrel sneered. "This time there's nothing to hide behind."

"He's only using you, Quirinus," Stein said. "The Philosopher's Stone cannot create a body, only strengthen the soul of a person. Don't you see? Voldemort is planning on using the Elixir of Life to take your body away from you, permanently."

"... lies..." Voldemort's face whispered.

"Your words cannot fool me!" Quirrel yelled. "Not with my master here to keep me strong!"

Stein sighed and prepared himself, the man was lost.

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

_"Expelliarmus!"_

At the same time the jet of green light shot out of Quirrel's wand, a red one shot out of Harry's. Quirrel's wand went flying in the air and right into Harry's rather shocked hands. The Killing curse however, shot towards Stein and hit him right in the face.

"Professor!" Harry screamed.

There was the sound of glass shattering as Stein's glasses hit the ground, shortly followed by the man himself. Harry stared, horrified.

"... now will you join us, Potter?" Voldemort wheezed.

"Never!" Harry roared in defiance, pointing his wand.

"Kill him!" Voldemort screamed.

Quirrel leapt forward and put his hands around the boy's neck. Harry fell to the ground, the much stronger and heavier man on top of him. His vision was beginning to go dark... he couldn't breathe...

There was a hissing as Quirrel howled in pain.

"My hands, master! They hurt!"

His hands were practically coming apart, the place where he had touched Harry's bare skin was peeling away and destroying itself.

Then kick to the face knocked Quirrel against the far wall.

Stein leant over the moaning man, his right palm crackling with power.

"Soul Menace!" he yelled, shoving his palm into the screaming man's chest.

There was an unholy scream as Stein forcibly separated the two souls. Quirrel gave an unholy roar as Voldemort's soul tore itself from his body and flew off through the ceiling.

"What the- that should have disintegrated it! Unless..."

_'Only the Witch-Hunter could permanently sever the bonds between the pieces of the soul...'_

Stein groaned. He'd forgotten about the whole Horcrux thing. So even a direct soul wavelength attack couldn't kill him? Great. And he had the name of Shibusen from the letter as well.

Bang!

Stein removed his fist from the wall, a rather large mark, was clearly visible in the wall. He was going to have to report that to Lord Death, which wouldn't be pleasant. Turning around, he noticed that Harry had passed out from the strangling earlier. A quick check on his soul reported that he would be fine, though.

Quirrel was still alive as well; although he was probably wishing he wasn't. He was curled up into a ball, whimpering. His hands were little more than stumps at the moment, not to mention how painful it must have been when Stein ripped Voldemort out of him.

If Stein had been a normal man, he might have felt a semblance of pity for the guy. Oh well.

Stein lit a cigarette and walked over towards the large mirror. Would have saved him a lot of time had he known that was in the innermost chamber. Never even found out where the Philosopher's Stone was either.

Oh well, so was life.

Stein breathed on the mirror and began to write Death's number. While doing so he happened to take a glance at the mirror.

His cigarette hit the floor.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So what did you guys think? Please inform of the things you like and disliked.  
><strong>

**And thanks to Maleon for recommending 'In the Mind of a Scientist', which despite some questionable science was actually a really good read!**

**Nearly a hundred reviews at the time of writing! A HUGE thank you to everyone for their support!**

**Glad to know people like this story so much. The major deviations from canon will begin shortly after this chapter, so I hope you all enjoy!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Wow this is awkward. I was really trying to find an oppurtunity to finish this chapter, but none really came by and before I knew it so much time had passed. Sorry for the delay, it won't happen again.  
><strong>

**Hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater or Harry Potter**

* * *

><p><strong>Graduation<br>**

Stein stared silently into the mirror, his thoughts slowing as his powerful mind processed what it was he was seeing at the moment. Deep down he knew it was just magic. That it was just some kind of strange trick and not showing reality, but it didn't stop the rest of his mind gaping blankly at what it was it could see. At the naked truth he was being shown by this mirror.

"You seem to have been busy while I was away," a voice from behind him stated.

Taken completely off guard, Stein immediately whirled round to see Dumbledore standing on the stone steps. Those powerful blue eyes stared silently into Stein's yellow ones as the elderly wizard descended the last few steps and stood only a few paces away from the scientist.

Inwardly, Stein berated himself for having let his guard down so easily. He had really been having trouble focusing lately; it was becoming worrisome.

"Would you perhaps care to enlighten me as to what exactly happened?" Dumbledore asked in a genial manner, gesturing slightly towards the unconscious forms of Quirinus and Potter on either side of the room.

His grandfatherly tone didn't fool Stein for an instant. The headmaster had revealed to be a wise manipulater, so nothing could truly be what it seemed with him. The man had both his hands concealed underneath his robes and judging from what Stein could sense with his Soul Perception, Dumbledore was holding his wand ready to cast at the slightest provocation.

His wand certainly had a powerful wavelength, that was for sure. It made sense that the most powerful wizard in the world would have a powerful wand in order to match his wavelength.

Stein frowned. Hold on...

Something was there, hidden by Dumbledore's own powerful soul. Something that was just out of his perception...

Stein slowly lifted his hands into a universal surrender position.

"You have no need to worry, I'm unarmed," he said calmly. "Quirinus managed to destroy my wand when we duelled."

Dumbledore's expression did not change, although his eyes briefly darted to the small shards of wood visible on the stairs.

"Forgive me if I find such a thing hard to believe," the headmaster replied. "Stories of your duel with Filius spread rather quickly, as such things tend to, and he himself told me that he was most surprised and impressed with your abilities. Quirinus on the other hand has never shown any ability in duelling during his school years or during his career. How was it he was able to destroy your wand? Yet you were then able to subdue him in return?"

"He had help," Stein stated, turning his screw before slowly lowering his arms. "Quirinus was acting on the orders of another. A being that possessed him through the back of his head. I believe that's why he was wearing a turban at all times this year. If you look at the back of his head now, there will likely be some lasting damaged from the possession."

There was a sudden glint in Dumbledore's eyes; as if he was suddenly very interested in what Stein had to say.

"Who was this entity you claim possessed him?" the headmaster asked, still on guard.

"Quirrel claimed that it was Lord Voldemort," Stein stated, his eyes focused on the headmaster's wand.

Giving his screw another couple of turns, Stein focused on the wand. Anything was better than having to deal with what he'd seen behind him. The way in which it reacted with Dumbledore's soul was strange, very strange.

In fact, it was almost as if the wand had it's own small soul.

But that was impossible.

"Are you quite sure?" the headmaster suddenly asked, bringing Stein back to the matter at hand.

"Very," Stein responded. "There was a face on the back of Quirrel's head that was talking about using the Elixir of Life to create a new body."

The headmaster let out a long sigh, suddenly looking much older than he had before. Dumbledore then neatly put away his wand, before turning to get a good look at Harry, who was lying nearby unconscious.

"Tell me everything that happened," Dumbledore commanded, waving his wand over Harry. "Omit no detail."

So Stein took in a deep breath and told him what had happened. How there was a discrepancy in the letter and how he investigated the chambers. How he confronted Quirrel, who destroyed his wand, but was disarmed by Harry at the last moment. How Voldemort fled and left Quirrel to his fate.

"And that leads me up to here, where you arrived, sir," Stein explained politely. "I still don't know where the philosopher's stone is however. Voldemort seemed to think that Potter had it for some reason."

At that moment, Dumbledore bent over the unconscious boy and drew a small, shiny red stone from his pocket. Stein blinked.

"So he did have it? How did he get it before they did?" he wondered out loud, rather bewildered.

"I used a, I must admit, rather cunning spell," Dumbledore explained, waving his wand again and making Harry float into the air gently. "Only someone who wanted the stone, but didn't want to use it, would obtain it when they looked into that mirror."

Stein looked distinctly uncomfortable. That image he had seen, it couldn't be possible. Was it the future? Was it merely an ilusion? Did it even have a meaning? He had to know.

"Sir," he began, gaining Dumbledore's attention. "About that mirror-"

"You wish to know what it is?" the headmaster asked, lifting an eyebrow. "Look at the inscription at the top."

Stein turned, being careful not to look into the mirror itself, and read the inscription at the top.

_Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi_.

Stein frowned, trying to decipher this nonsense. It took him but a few seconds to figure it out.

"I show not your face but your heart's desire," Stein read out loud. "So this mirror shows you what you want to see?"

"Close," Dumbledore stated, walking up beside him to gaze into the mirror. "This mirror shows you nothing but the most deepest, desperate desire of your heart. It may be impossible, it might even be ridiculous. Countless have stared into the Mirror of Erised and many have withered away in front of it, unable to let go."

He gave Stein a sidelong glance.

"It does not do to dwell in dreams and forget reality."

Stein stared forward, staring at the scene the mirror depicted in silent contemplation.

His reflection grinned madly back at him, cackling silently. Fresh blood dripped down its chin onto its drenched clothes. A large, black mangled piece of cloth was thrown haphazardly over its shoulders, along with the smashed skull sitting in its empty hand and the scalpel in the other.

Feral yellow eyes bore into Stein's own, looking so happy and alive, unburdened by sanity or responsibility. As Stein stared into the background he saw more and more shapes form. Familiar shapes, a range of ages each bearing stitches that mirrored his own, and all of them smiling cheerfully at him. As he continued to stare, the reflection's face began to twist and morph into something completely different.

Those bright yellow eyes slowly melting away, exposing tattered skin and three black eyes. Eyes that tore at his very soul, making his principles _slip..._

Stein abruptly turned away from the mirror, breathing heavily and trying to get his wavelength under control. He saw Dumbledore, Potter and Quirrel floating beside him, give him an understanding look before turning round to leave the chamber.

The meister moved to follow him. Ready to get as far away as possible from that damned mirror as he could.

* * *

><p>Professor Dumbledore dropped Potter off in the hospital wing, where both Granger and Weasley were sleeping safely, and brought Quirrel to his office. Both Minerva and Severus were already in there, along with somebody Stein didn't know.<p>

He was a rather portly little man, his head topped with a small amount of grey hair. He was wearing deep green robes and quickly stood upon sighting Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore, I do wish to apologise," he began as they slipped in. "I don't know how such a message could have been misdelievere- Good lord!" he cried upon catching sight of Quirrel's floating unconscious body. "Is he alright?"

"I do believe so, Cornelius," Dumbledore replied, setting Quirrel down onto the floor. "Although only time can tell."

There was another flurry of movement from his wand and suddenly Quirinus was bound by several thick ropes. Cornelius stepped backwards in shock.

"Dumbledore! What is the meaning of this?!" he demanded.

"Forgive me for startling you," the headmaster said sincerely. "But I do believe we've found our attempted thief."

Both Minerva and Cornelius looked astonished, while Severus just looked smug.

"The thief?!" Cornelius declared disbelievingly. "Do you mean to tell me that this man is the one who broke into Gringotts?!"

"Oh yes," Dumbledore said, scuttling around them to sit down in the chair behind his desk. "He didn't act alone, however."

Stein noted how a couple of pairs of eyes turned to him in suspicion.

"This is a matter of grave seriousness," the headmaster declared, his tone lowering. "You may not even believe me, but I do have at least two witnesses who can confirm it."

There was a notable tension in the room. Cornelius seemed to fixate on Dumbledore, his beady eyes staring at him incessantly.

"Why? What happened? His accomplice didn't take the Stone did they?" Cornelius asked.

"No, they were unsuccessful in that attempt thanks in-part to my friend Professor Franken Stein here," Dumbledore began, gesturing towards the meister. "As well as the efforts of Messrs Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley and Miss Hermione Granger."

Severus suddenly looked as if he'd swallowed a lemon whilst Minerva gasped, as if she had suddenly realised something. Cornelius on the other hand looked ecstatic.

"Harry Potter? Merlin, it looks like he's living up to his reputation already! Imagine what he'll be like when he grows up!"

"While that news is indeed in itself astonshing, it wasn't what I wanted to tell you, Cornelius," Dumbledore said patiently. "It's the identity of Quirinus's accomplice, or 'master', that is the worrying news."

The headmaster took a deep breath.

"It is as we feared Cornelius," Dumbledore spoke solemnly. "_He_ nearly came back tonight."

Minerva paled, while Severus tensed up. Stein noticed him tuck his left arm tightly into his robes for some reason. Cornelius seemed to not know what Dumbledore was talking about, but the sweat coming off of his forehead told another story.

"Who, Albus?" the man almost demanded. "Who?!"

"Lord Voldemort."

Cornelius's face went stark white. He reached for the nearby table, steadying himself for a moment, before regaining his voice again.

"Y-You-Know-Who?!" he stammered, before quickly regaining his composure. "Surely Dumbledore, you realise what you're saying is impossible?"

"It certainly isn't," Stein interjected. "He was there, on the back of Quirrel's head, possessing him. Not to mention, Potter and I both witnessed the event."

"He's right Cornelius," Dumbledore said. "Fortunately, Voldemort-" Cornelius and Minerva flinched. "-did not succeed in his objective to steal the stone. In fact, I already have half a mind to have a good talk with Nicholas about getting of that thing once and for all. He did seem rather weary last I spoke with him..."

"Look Dumbledore," Cornelius spoked up once again, his tone more forceful. "This is preposterous! This man has no credibility, Albus! Surely you see that?"

"There is a way to find out," Dumbledore spoke, looking towards the potions master. "Severus, I trust you have some veritaserum in your storage?"

The greasy-haired man nodded.

"I will obtain it at once," he said, before exiting the room with a lengthy stride.

"Even if he believes he's acting under Voldemort's orders doesn't mean he was!" Cornelius objected, still standing strong.

"Come now, minister," Minerva scolded lightly, pointing vaguely towards Stein. "We have at least one witness here right now, with Mr Potter downstairs as well. You can ask him for a second opinion after we've talked to Quirinus."

Stein studied Cornelius's soul while the man floundered for an answer. The man's name had been familiar, but now Stein remembered. This was the British Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, the head of the British Ministry.

Well, Stein wasn't too impressed at the moment.

The man's soul was above average in strength, but also prideful at it's center as well as rather insecure. Even Stein, a relative newcomer to the magical world, had heard of how many times Dumbledore had been offered the position of minister, but had turned it down every time. Knowing that you've only got your job because the other guy didn't want it could affect most people oddly, let alone a politician.

"I can't make these sorts of decisions lightly," the Minister declared. "I have to be absolutely sure of all the facts before I can make any sort of statement. The entire world looks towards our government, I need to put on a strong show otherwise we could become a laughing stock!"

It was at that point that Severus returned with a small vial of what looked like clear water.

"Ah, excellent Severus," Dumbledore complimented.

Tenderly taking the phial from the potions master, Dumbledore leaned forwards and carefully administered three drops into Quirrel's open mouth. He then stood up, handing the potion back to Snape, before taking out his wand.

He pointed it at Quirrel's chest and spoke.

"Rennervate."

Instantly Quirrel was awoken. He blinked sleepily at them before his brain managed to catch up to where he was. His eyes shot open then darted downwards whereupon he realised his wand was missing and that he was securely restrained.

"Good evening, Quirinus," Dumbledore greeted. "You seem surprisingly lucid. Why is that I wonder?"

Quirrel spasmed, as if trying to prevent himself from speaking. Slowly, his mouth began to move as panic filled his soul.

"M-my master," he groaned, fighting the influence of the potion as much as he could. "H-he taught me how to-to fight it!"

"And who is your master?" Dumbledore asked calmly as the Minister of Magic leaned in, eager to hear the answer.

Quirrel strained against himself. His face slowly turned purple as he focussed everything on not speaking. There was a few seconds of silence as they waited.

"L-Lord Voldemort!" he screamed.

Minerva stepped back, covering her mouth in shock. Severus paled even further than before, and Cornelius actually stepped back, his face a mask of horror and confusion.

Stein couldn't see Dumbledore's expression, but his soul seemed strangely determined with a slight amount of triumph.

Quirrel slumped forwards, his will to protect his master completely broken.

That had been that.

Dumbledore had levelled question after question towards Quirinius, who had responded without hesitation, unable to fight against the potion's influence at all. He revealed ever sordid detail of his first meeting with the Dark Lord and how he'd been 'shown the truth' by his new master. The questioning lasted until the first rays of the sun came up over the mountains.

The headmaster stood up solemnly, before turning towards the others with a serious expression on his face. Quirrel slumped over, utterly drained. A simple flick of Dumbledore's wand and he was unconcsious again.

""Well, Dumbledore," Cornelius finally spoke, seemingly flustered. "In light of this... event, I think I'll be getting some aurors to come take Quirrel away for further interrogation. I'm still skeptical, you understand-"

"By Merlin, how could you possibly still be skeptical after that?!" Minerva demanded. "He just confessed to everything! Everything he said correlated with what Stein said happened."

"We can't afford to take any chances with something like this," Cornelius claimed, noticeably sweating. "It might even be seen as an attempt to regain the emergency powers the last Minister of Magic was given. I'll have to play this carefully."

"Politics, Minerva," Severus stated. "Learning that the Dark Lord may indeed be alive after all this time would shift the political scene significantly."

Dumbledore nodded.

"Exactly," the headmaster said. "I do have a list of suggested measures that we can discuss at a later date if you wish, Cornelius. For now we should first make sure Quirrel is detained in a secure facility."

"I'll be getting the Aurors to take him away immediately," Fudge said repeated, walking off towards the fireplace. "Oh, the amount of paperwork..."

With a flash of green fire he was gone. Stein immediately recognised it as Floo Powder, a substance that allowed for teleportation between connected fireplaces.

"We shoud keep an eye on him for now," Dumbledore said, gesturing towards the former defence professor. "I have an awful lot of work to do."

With that he sat down behind his desk, his phoenix settled down onto the desk, ready to carry out it's orders.

"I guess I'll go back to bed then," Stein decided. "Call me if you need aything else."

The headmaster chuckled as the man left.

"Will do."

The doors shut behind Stein and the headmaster's jovial expression faded to be replaced by a more thoughtful one.

"Is something wrong, Albus?" Minerva asked.

"Just thinking, Minerva," he responded quietly, his mind flashing back to the shattered wand in the chamber and the mysterious spell Quirrel used to disable Stein momentarily.

"He never did say exactly what he hit him with, did he?" Dumbledore muttered, suspicions appearing in his mind.

"What was that, Albus?"

The headmaster stood up again, gently stroking Fawkes as he walked forwards back to Quirrel's unconscious form. With another flick of his wrist the man bolted awake, only to stare angrily at Dumbledore.

"I apologise for disturbing your rest, but I have a couple more questions," he spoke, not disinterred in the least when Quirrel refused to answer. "You said that you broke Professor Stein's wand then disabled him with another spell before Harry disarmed you?"

"Yes," Quirrel was forced to say.

"You managed to hit him?"

"It was a direct hit right into his face," Quirrel answered. "It broke his glasses."

"Albus, what exactly are you doing?" Minerva asked. "How is any of this relevant?"

"What spell did you hit him with?" Dumbledore questioned, ignoring his deputy for now.

Quirrel looked up at them and spoke.

"Avada Kedavra."

* * *

><p>"And you haven't garnered the least bit of suspicion?" Lord Death asked.<p>

"Not as far as I am aware of," Stein responded. "They still think that I'm a rather nervous, if lucky, Professor from America."

"That's really quite impressive, Dr Stein," Death complimented, giving Stein a thumbs up. "Good job! I knew you would be able to do it."

"Thank you, sir."

"The year has almost come to an end and I'll be expecting a full report when you return, is that understood?"

"Of course."

"Wonderful!"

"I may have to return for the graduation ceremony though," Stein stated. "The Professors are expected to return so they can say farewell to their oldest students."

"No problem! As long as you don't blow your cover it should be fine."

"I doubt that'll happen, sir," Stein said. "On the subject of maintaining my cover; will I be required to stay another year?"

"Hmm, this Voldemort character might warrant keeping an eye on," Death decided after some thought. "Messing with souls is strictly our area of expertise. If you can track him down more effectively by staying in touch with the magical world, then maybe one more year to gather more information will be for the best."

"I doubt my continued presence will be necessary. Their minister seemed competent. With two eye-witness testomonies and Quirrel incarcerated, it should only be a matter of time before they track this Voldemort guy down..."

* * *

><p>"It's bloody scandalous!" Minerva roared across the staff common room.<p>

Heads turned as she threw down the Daily Prophet onto the table, the front page headline lying there for all to see:

**Defence Against Dark Arts Professor Found Guilty of Attempted Murder of the Boy-Who-Lived!**

Leaning in, Stein saw there was another smaller line of text below it, reading:

**Blames Murder Attempt on 'Spirit of You-Know-Who'!**

_Hogwarts Professor, Quirinus Quirrel, was given a life sentence in Azkaban yesterday for the attempted murder of Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, as well as the attempted murder of another Hogwarts Professor. The former defence professor was recorded to have been 'hysterical' and 'incomrehensible' at his trial before the Wizengamot at 6:00pm yesterday evening. _

_"He was ranting about being possessed by the spirit of You-Know-Who" said Amelia Bone, Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement. _

_"Clearly he was not in his right mind," Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary, told us after the trial. "It's the kindest thing for him really, sending him there." _

_But is it possible that the Dark Lord could return one day? We asked another member of the Wizengamot on such matters, as to whether he thought there was the slightest chance that the Professor could have been manipulated by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named._

_"The very idea of You-Know-Who still being alive is beyond ludicrous," Lucius Malfoy, Head of the Malfoy Family and Chairman of Hogwarts Board of Governors, said to us when prompted. "The poor man was clearly having delusions of fantasy. Having known the man beforehand I have to admit that Quirinus was never made of the toughest sort. Very quiet throughout school, never many friends. He always had odd interest; never watched Quidditch, spent all his time studying muggles - that sort of thing. I guess that trip of his around the world was the last straw for his fragile psyche."_

Stein put the paper down and handed it towards Severus, a sinking feeling in his gut. Looks like the Minister's promises didn't really mean much. He might just have to stay another year after all. The meister watched as Severus's face scowled slightly, before quickly becoming unreadable once more. Only the way he harshly slammed the paper down onto the table belied his feelings on the matter.

Stein made to adjust his glasses, forgetting they had been destroyed. Apparently whatever curse Quirrel had used rendered repairing spells useless, so he was stuck without glasses until he returned to Death City.

"How can they expect to get away with this?" Minerva raved, her soul wavelength all over the place. "It undermines the very society we stand for! Does Dumbledore's word mean nothing? Does the word of one of our professor's mean nothing? Does the testimony of the BOY-WHO-LIVED mean nothing?!"

"They didn't ask me for any sort of testimony," Stein clarified. "And I don't think they asked for Potter's either. There was little mention of either of us, besides the obvious attention-grabbing title."

Honestly, he was rather glad they hadn't approached him, although he wouldn't admit it to anyone here. He was supposed to be keeping a low profile and Stein highly doubted that even Lord Death, whose idea of a low-profile was somewhat circumspect, would appreciate his top meister making front page news. Becoming famous, even if only a little, would run detrimount to his mission.

As people tried to search for more information on him, the more they would come up with dead ends. This would obviously compile and it wouldn't be long before holes would start appearing in his story and he'd be forced to flee before long.

Upon hearing his sentence Minerva almost went purple with rage.

"They didn't even-" she stopped, too angry to speak.

Instead she paced the room, clearly trying to calm and collect herself.

"I will speak to Albus about this. He is Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, perhaps he can explain as to how this decision came about..."

She stormed off, the staffroom door swinging shut in the wake of her fury. Stein made a mental note to watch out for her in the next few days.

"This is indeed disturbing news," Severus noted seemingly to himself, before looking at Stein. "I would advise you to keep a low profile. Do not respond to the efforts of anyone you do not know trying to contact you."

This was fine with Stein, he had no desire to gain any sort of attention. However the fact that Severus was so adamant that he didn't was strange in itself.

"You think someone will try to silence me?" Stein asked in a monotone.

For a brief fraction of a second, Severus's eyes widened in surprise, but before Stein could fully comprehend it his face once again became a stony mask.

"Nothing quite so austere," he drawled. "It is more likely they'll merely try and discredit you. I would advise you to turn down any reporters who request an interview."

"Understood," he responded casually, before standing up. "Anyway, the year's nearly over and I need to finish a few things."

He gave a Severus a slight wave.

"I'll see you at the feast," Stein said, walking out of the door before Severus could say anything else. "Slytherin's won again, I hear..."

* * *

><p>Well the end-of-year feast had been interesting, if nothing else.<p>

Dumbledore had apparently decided that three children helping stop (or at least slow down) Quirrel and Lord Voldemort deserved something of a reward. Severus had been in a bad mood for the rest of the day, muttering about how unfair it was for victory to be snatched away from Slytherin right at the last moment. Stein personally thought that Slytherin winning the House Cup for the last seven years was in itself rather unfair, there was a reason all the other three houses had cheered, but was wise enough not to say anything to his face.

All in all, it had been a bit of a waste of time. Harry had kept trying to catch Stein's eye, but he had made sure to do no more than stoically nod in his direction, then glare when he didn't quite get the message.

The meister packed up his stuff and was on the Hogwarts Express, bound for Kings Cross Station where he would be taking a mirror back to Death City. He had a training routine for Maka to think of, and he probably owed it to Spirit to put at least a little bit of effort into training her.

"Ah, hello there Professor!" a familiar voice said cheerfully, rousing Stein from his thoughts.

"Couldn't help but notice that these seats were empty," another similarly familiar voice added. "How do you feel to letting us sit there for old time's sake?"

Old time's sake? What on earth-

Oh no.

Stein opened his eyes to level a stony glare at the Weasley twins, who were standing in the doorway to his compartment, their eyes shining with childlike curiousity.

"What do you two want?" he asked.

The twins sat down opposite him, not waiting for him to say they could Stein noted, before silently deciding amongst the two of them that they could interrogate him about matters he'd rather not discuss.

"So Professor, we heard that you lost your glasses in an accident that involved our little brother," Fred said.

"As well as his friends," George added.

"Exactly. So could you perhaps enlighten us with the details of his little expedition?" Fred asked in what he probably thought was a respectful tone.

"How much exactly do you know?" Stein responded.

"Little Ronnickins wasn't very forthcoming with the details," George lied. "Although he didn't tell us much about what happened at the end..."

Stein twitched, his soul perception letting him know that George was lying through his teeth. Most likely Ron had boasted about the whole tale to them in the Gryffindor Common Room at every oppurtunity.

It took a truly heroic effort to not simply knock the two of them out and sleep the rest of the journey. Of course few would look kindly on such behaviour from a teacher, so he was forced to bear with it for now.

He crossed his arms, fixing them with a neutral gaze.

"I suppose I can tell you, it's been destroyed now anyway," Stein decided.

"What's been destroyed?" Fred asked, leaning in clearly interested.

"For the past year, Hogwarts has been host to the Philosopher's Stone," Stein explained. " A substance that is said to be able to make the Elixir of Immortality."

The twins's jaws dropped to the floor.

"Ron wasn't lying," George realised with shock.

"That little-!" Fred said angrily. "Doing all that without us! When I get my hands on him..."

"Quirrel also tried to get the stone," Stein said, cutting Fred off before he could continue. "But he was stopped and arrested."

"Is that why you were teaching everyone for the last couple of weeks?" George asked.

"And why Quirrel wasn't at the feast?" Fred clarified.

Stein sighed.

"Yes," he said. "The Daily Prophet was correct in that Quirrel did try to steal the stone, although it got a number of other things wrong. The rumours about it being the spirit of Voldemort-"

The twins instinctively flinched.

"-weren't exgerrated. Quirrel was indeed being possessed by the Dark Lord's spirit, and has been for the whole year."

The twins were silent in shock. As Stein had suspected, Ron hadn't known all the details of what had gone on in the final chamber, at least when he had told them about it anyway.

"Woah..." Fred murmured, sitting back in shock. "Does that mean You-Know-Who is back?"

"I'm not qualified to make that call," Stein said, before narrowing his eyes at the two. "Oh, and if I get wind that either of you let anyone know what I just told you, I'll make the punishment I gave you for sneaking into my room look like a stroll through the park. Is that understood?"

The two nodded, although they were somewhat composed on the outside, their souls betrayed their anxiety.

"Good," Stein said smiling, his mood instantly doing a one-eighty. "Leave that to your little brother."

The meister then stood up and retrieved his luggage from the racks above his head.

"Oh and by the way," Stein asked, turning to face the twins. "I take it you two found out what was behind that forbidden door on the third floor?"

Fred and George nodded.

"Oh yeah, that giant three-headed dog!" Fred remembered after a couple of secnds of thought.

"Probably belongs to Hagrid. Dumbledore was probably hiding it from him," George speculated. "What about it?"

Stein grinned.

"It seems you two didn't look into matters as thoroughly as your little brother," he said, delighting at the little spikes of indignaiton in their wavelengths. "If you had looked closer, you'd probably have seen the trapdoor it was standing on. That dog wasn't being hidden, it was helping to guard the Philosopher's Stone."

The twins looked as if someone had just told them their house had been burnt down.

"You were _so _close."

"No way!" Fred yelled.

George smacked himself in the face in despair.

"How could we have missed that!" he cried.

"We could have spent the year trying to get past it!" Fred realised with horror. "Instead we had to do remedial Potions Essay's for Snape!"

"Ron saw it but _we _didn't?!" George yelled incredulously.

"What's happened to us?!"

Stein chuckled.

"Perhaps you two should keep your eyes open more often," he suggested with mirth, noticing as the train pulled into Kings Cross Station.

He made his way towards the door, before pausing to look back at the twins.

"Maybe next year you'll have better luck?" he chuckled, before leaving the two to think about what could have been.

'Teaching isn't too bad,' Stein thought to himself as he stepped off of the train. 'I guess I wouldn't mind doing another year.'

"Professor Stein! Professor Stein!" a high-pitched voice yelled from nearby.

Stein turned to see Harry Potter and his two friends running up to him. He groaned silently as the three came up to him, bringing trolleys with their possessions with them. Potter had a snowy white owl in a cage, whilst the Weasley was holding an old and chubby rat in his hands.

"Professor," Potter said quickly. "I-I just wanted to thank you for saving me, in the chamber."

"As well as taking care of that troll," Hermione added, with only the minutest shiver in her voice.

Stein raised an eyebrow.

"That's kind of you to say, but I did little more than teach you that disarming spell," Stein said. "You're the one who was able to choose when to use it properly."

He then turned to look at all three of them.

"Not to mention you all managed to get through defences that were designed to ensnare and trap a fully-grown wizard or witch."

Stein smiled at them kindly.

"Well done. If anything, people should be taking lessons from you."

Compliments always worked when it came to deflecting irritating questions, especially on young children. He watched as their souls swelled with the praise, Granger even blushed a little in embarassment.

There was suddenly a bright flash from the side. Stein turned to see a photographer standing there with a large, old-looking camera, while a woman with elaborate blonde curls strolled towards the four of them.

The woman wore ruby red glasses with precious stones embedded into them. She had rather masculine hands with the exception of her fingers, which were tipped with thick crimson nails far too long for any practical purposes. They were currently clutching what looked like a crocodile-skin handbag, which looked rather expensive and was practically brimming with magic to Stein's enhanced perception.

"It's an honour to meet you Mr Potter, may I call you Harry?" the woman said quickly.

"Er.-" Harry began.

"My name is Rita Skeeter, reporter for the Daily Prophet. I was wondering Harry, if you would be willing to answer a few questions for our readers? They all want to know more about the mystery boy who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named so long ago and the adventures he's gotten up to recently at school."

Stein should have sensed this woman's vain, vindictive soul from about a mile away. Some small part of him wanted to tell Harry to get away from this reporter, who clearly didn't have his best interests at heart. He didn't however want to attract the press's attention right now, which could eventually result in the loss of his cover if he was investigated too deeply.

He also couldn't just kill everyone on the station, despite how much he was tempted to do so.

So he compromised.

"I'm certain that your readers are very interested in Harry's state of affairs," Stein interrupted jovially. "But Harry's guardians are waiting for him outside and it wouldn't do to keep them waiting."

He quickly ushered Harry and his friends away from the reporter and her cameraman. When she tried to follow, he sent a small piece of his wavelength through the floor, causing her to drop her handbag and making all her things spill out onto the floor.

"Sorry," he apologised to the three. "But I think it would be best if you didn't talk to her. She strikes me as a little odd."

Ron and Hermione looked a little put-out but Harry seemed to agree with him, although he didn't seem too thrilled to go back to his guardians, whoever they were. No books had mentioned Harry's current location, only stating that he was well protected from any of Voldemort's supporters that wanted to do him harm.

As soon as they were through the barrier, Stein relaxed. She wouldn't dare try and conduct an interview in front of muggles.

He bid farewell to the three before walking off towards the bathroom. It only took a few minutes for the coast to clear and he was back through the mirror into Death City.

* * *

><p>"Higher!" Stein ordered, blocking a kick to his mid-section.<p>

Maka stumbled backwards but quickly regained her balance before swinging herself round again, aiming for his head this time.

"Better," he praised, blocking once more with his forearm and sending her tumbling to the ground.

She lay there for a brief instant, before once more clambering to get up. Raising her fists she briefly tried to stare Stein down, before charging once more. He easily blocked or dodged the blows to his head, before knocking her arms away and striking her with his flat palm.

Maka flew backwards and stumbled, but managed to retain her balance this time. He could see her sharp mind trying to figure out a way to defeat him with what she knew. Her eyes darted all over the place, looking for some weapon to use, some weakness to exploit.

Panting tiredly, she briefly got onto one knee, her exhaustion getting the better of her. Before Stein could say anything she then shot towards him again, her fist cocked back. Stein settled back into his stance as she came closer, but instead of trying to punch him her fist became loose.

A load of dust went straight into Stein's eyes, causing him to stumble back in surprise trying to rub his eyes. Maka then charged forwards, aiming a deadly kick at him.

Like lightning, Stein's hand shot out and grabbed Maka's leg. He then lifted her up and slammed her into the ground, causing her to cry out in pain. Recovering quickly, she shakily stood up again.

Stein held up a hand, signalling the end of ther practice session. His other trying to get the dust out of his eyes.

"Good tactics," he said approvingly. "You don't hold anything back, especially against a superior opponent."

Maka sat down, her soul practically glowing with the praise.

"Thank you... Dr Stein," she managed to say.

"You're certainly not bad," he decided, after having fought with Maka for about half an hour he had a good grasp of her abilities. "I take it Kami has been teaching you a few things?"

She nodded silently, too exhausted to do anything other than breathe. The hot sun beating down in the middle of the desert was beginning to get to her. She was hot, sweaty and beyond tired.

"Your form isn't great, you seem to have some severe balance issues," Stein analysed. "Has Kami been letting you practice with a weapon?"

Maka nodded.

"Interesting, getting too used to fighting with a weapon can certainly affect your balance. Just be sure to practice your martial arts with and without weapons. I won't be here next week since I'll be needed at graduation, but the week after that I'll be expecting you back here to train."

She smiled at him, almost jumping up in excitement. That Stein was going to keep training her was something she was looking forward to.

Then nervous excitement seemed to radiate from her soul.

"Is something bothering you?" Stein asked.

Maka shifted her feet in the sand awkwardly.

"I-I signed up for Shibusen recently," she said with trepidation and a little bit of anger. "But they put me in the NOT class. I can't believe they think I'm not good enough to get into the EAT class! You even said I was good!"

"I said you were not bad," Stein corrected. "But it's nothing to worry about. Everyone starts off in the NOT class, regardless of how good they are. Both myself and your parents started and met one another there. You still have a bit to learn, but I doubt it'll be long now before you're at the right level to be accepted. The only tricky bit is finding a weapon."

Maka nodded, both excited and slightly nervous at the prospect of choosing a weapon.

"Lets head back to Death City," Stein said, looking up at the sky. "It's getting late."

Maka grabbed her cloak, while Stein grabbed his labcoat and new glasses. Slowly the two walked back towards Death City, its spires and strange skull-like protrusions just barely visible over the horizon.

Stein could still sense that something was bothering Maka. As they got closer and closer towards the city, she became more apprehensive and irritable. Stein might have been a scientist, but he wasn't particularly curious about what could be bothering a young nearly-teenage girl. It would probably just be irritating to know...

"Dr Stein?" Maka suddenly asked, speaking up.

He sighed internally.

"Yes?"

"How do you know when you've found the right weapon?" she asked. "Can you really choose or are you stuck with whoever gets picked for you?"

A normal concern for a young aspiring meister, although Stein sensed there was more to it than that. The young girl's soul was pulsating with anxiety, like she was struggling with something she couldn't fully understand.

"You pick your weapon depending on whether or not your Soul Wavelengths are compatible," Stein answered, going into full lecture mode. "While more advanced and experienced meisters can alter their wavelength to some degree in order to better fight with their weapons, at your age your first weapon will likely be someone who you can actually fight with."

There was much more to it than that, and although Maka was clever for her age, it would be a waste to describe advanced Soul Studies theory right now.

"Ok. It's just that my mama taught me how to fight with a scythe, but I'm not sure if a scythe is what I want to use," Maka admitted to her teacher.

Stein raised an eyebrow.

That was odd.

Why would Maka be so adverse to having a scythe as her weapon? A plethora of possible reasons appeared in Stein's mind to try and explain it; ranging from her wanting to forge her own path separate to her mother's to simple teenage rebellion. Yet they all had a common provenance, one that set Stein's mind on edge.

"Does this happen to have anything to do with Spirit?" Stein inquired.

"No," Maka replied immediately, but curiously enough she said nothing else for the remainder of the trip.

* * *

><p>Stein had had enough foresight to keep the mirror in his room at Hogwarts. So upon the day where the seventh year students would graduate he simply stepped through the mirror and into his quarters within seconds.<p>

He walked up towards the Great Hall where there was now instead of four large tables along with a staff table, one large table laden with food off towards the side. Everyone was standing up and intermingling with one another. Professors were chatting with students, reminiscing both the good times and the bad, and a few were even giving a few good luck farewells to those who had particularly resonated with them.

As nice as it was to chat to many of his students, a thankfully large proportion of whom had gotten the grades they'd wanted, the whole evening was frightfuly boring on the whole.

"Professor Stein!" a loud youthful voice yelled.

Turning towards the voice, Stein was nearly knocked off of his feet by who he was certain was Nymphadora Tonks. She now had bright pink hair that seemed to alternate between curly and straight each second, like she couldn't quite concentrate on her appearance for the moment. She had a huge grin on her face and promptly released him from her sudden embrace.

"I got it! I actually got it!" she cried happily. "I got the grades and was accepted into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement! In a few years I'll be a fully fledged Auror!"

He gave her one of his enocuraging smiles.

"Well done, I knew you could do it," he said happily. "You always were talented. I look forward to seeing what you make of yourself in the future, Tonks. Perhaps you'll bring some change for the better in the ministry."

The girl blushed, but a loud authoritative call to attention rang through the hall. Walking around, as brazen as could be, Albus Dumbledore cheerfully offered a toast to the leaving students and was soon met with resounding applause by all that were there. Tonks was soon dragged away by her friends and the rest of the evening passed like a blur to Stein, who was bored out of his mind.

Most of the other professor's whom he might have been able to have an intelligent conversation with were busy chatting with students, something Stein wasn't too keen on.

It wasn't long after Dumbledore had offered his toast and they had finished off their meal, that the Headmaster lead them out towards the grounds for the final piece of the ceremony. Night had descended on Hogwarts, leaving the huge castle aglow with numerous lights.

Dumbledore led them all down towards the hill that overlooked the docks of the school, where a large number of small wooden boats could be seen floating on top of the lake. Stein along with the other teachers stood alongside the headmaster as he stopped and turned around to face the crowd in front of him, smiling tiredly as he did so.

"It is good to see you all made it," Dumbledore stated. "I'm not one for long speeches, as you all know, but I do feel it is important for you all to listen to your aging headmaster one last time before you go out to face the world."

There was silence and a few chuckles from the students as they all quietly listened to what Dumbledore had to say.

"The world out there is both a cruel and beautiful place. We, the staff, have done our absolute best to prepare you for entering into this world, whether it was making sure you completed your potions essay on time, or something as simple as healing you up after a bash in the head after Quidditch. For some of you the magical world is the sort of thing most could only imagine in fairytales,foro others it has been a part of your entire lives for as long as you could remember. Either way, all of us here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry wish all of you the best in whichever career paths you have chosen."

There was a pause in which Stein could hear a few whispers among the students.

"Each and every one of you here is the future, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I and the other staff have watched you all grow since the moment you first came here seven years ago. From nervous, small first years stumbling into the Great Hall to be sorted, to great confident Witches and Wizards alike. You have all grown so much. You have all learnt so much! I and every member of the staff salute you all, the future!"

Dumbledore raised his wand, along with every other member of the faculty. Stein copied the motion, suddenly extremely thankful he'd remembered to purchase a new wand, and they all fired sparks of numerous colours into the air.

The smell of smoke intermingled with the sound of cheers washed over everyone. Stein felt their souls swell with pride and accomplishment as fireworks shot up into the sky behind the castle. Unlike regular fireworks, these were enchanted with magic.

Great beasts and figures appeared in the sky, some doing nothing more than wave, whilst others conducted long and elaborate battles with one another before waving at the former students and vanishing into nothing, only for the next firework to explode, creating the next.

The whole crowd, including the teachers, watched in awe as the fireworks display became more and more elaborate. Designs and patterns, representing spells and wands and other animals all swelled together and into one another. Soon the sky became ablaze with colour as the great finale arrived.

Four primary colours lit up the sky: blue, red, green and yellow. They formed the Hogwarts Crest, glowering sparking above the castle, just as large as the ancient building itself. The students all cheered upon seeing it and once more Dumbledore drew their attention towards him.

"Fantastic, fantastic," he said sincerely. "Such a fine display of fireworks. It has been a great honour to have you all here, but now our time has come to an end..."

He gestured towards the docks.

"Please make your way towards the boats for the final send off, and remember, there will always be a home at Hogwarts for each and everyone of you, no matter how dark and troubled your days may become."

With those rather somber final words the students made their way towards the boats, where Hagrid could be seen with a large lantern.

"Firs' years!" he cried. "Firs' years this way!"

He got a good laugh out of that.

Stein reckoned he was one of the few teachers who had dry eyes as he watched the former students clamber into the dingy little boats tied to the shore. Minerva had a handkerchief and was wiping her eyes. Filius was blinking suspiciously fast next to him. Only Snape seemed unaffected, and even he was staring off at the boats, a distant look in his eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: There we go. Sorry for ending on a cliff hanger last time, I didn't even fully realise until after I'd posted. After this year the major changes to the storyline will begin and it will be clear as to why they are changing as well.  
><strong>

**Also a major thank you to everyone who reviewed the story. I am flabbergasted by the attention this story has ben receiving lately and I hope not to disappoint. I personally always hated it when a good fic got discontinued and I promise to do my best not to let the same thing happen to this one.**

**Just so everyone knows, the two stories of Soul Eater and Harry Potter will be happening together and affecting one another accordingly. This is rather ambitious I know, but I think I can make it work.**

**Feel free to review and tell me what you guys think. I love to hear what you liked or disliked about my story.**

**Hope you all enjoyed.**

**Update hopefully within the next two weeks.**

**Questions:**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Please forgive me for the serious delay. I don't think I can promise any amount of time for any upcoming chapters, sorry. I'll just have to upload them as I get the time to do so. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater or Harry Potter**

* * *

><p><strong>New Concerns<strong>

"So tell me again then, Stein," Lord Death spoke in a concerned manner through the mirror. "You said his wand had it's own soul?"

"Not exactly, sir," Stein said, recalling that feeling of dread as he had felt the soul of Dumbledore's wand a few months ago. "It was more like... an echo of a soul; a very familiar and powerful soul. Yet it was somehow held within that wand. I've never even heard of anything like this before; at least before I heard your explanation about Horcruxes that is."

He stared at Lord Death expectantly, waiting to see if the Grim Reaper had anything to say about that. The god would pick up on his not-so-subtle accusation without a doubt. Lord Death had been interacting with humans and other beings for longer than Stein could comprehend, there was no way he wouldn't pick up what he was implying.

"No, I expect not," Death responded thoughtfully, rubbing the bottom of his mask like it was a chin. "I can't imagine why."

Unless he chose to ignore it entirely.

Of course Stein didn't have to be able to see Death's soul to know an obvious lie when he heard it. Even here in England, he could practically feel the quivers moving through his boss's impossibly large soul. The only question he had was why Lord Death would lie so obviously? Perhaps he just didn't want Stein to know about that wand or what connections Lord Death might have to the Wizarding World.

Whatever the reason, he had little choice but to let the matter drop for now. Despite his innate curiosity eating away at him Stein lacked any means to force Lord Death into telling him anything.

Stein took a drag on his cigarette in the ensuing silence.

"Is there anything else concerning you, Stein?"

Stein breathed out.

"Just one other thing," he said, his report finally coming to a close. "It's about some of the less savoury aspects of their society-"

"I'll admit that there are some oddities," Death said, holding up a silencing hand. "But a single year is hardly enough time for us to condemn them entirely. From what you've described these people act more like humans with magic than Witches."

"Exactly my point, sir," Stein responded. "And humans are capable of great acts of destruction. Add magic into the equation and it's a recipe for disaster."

"Oh don't be so quick to condemn your own species, Stein," Death admonished. "Humans are wondrous creatures. Their lives are so short yet so bright they can't help but make an impact. Humans are capable of both good and evil and magic hasn't seemed to change-"

Lord Death stopped mid-sentence, staring off into the distance silently.

"Lord Death?!" Stein asked, a sliver of alarm in his tone. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing at all!" Death suddenly spoke, happily clapping his hands together. "I bet you can't wait to get back to teaching those kids. I knew this job was your calling!"

Stein felt a muscle below his left eye twitch sharply. It was bad enough that Lord Death was pushing him back into this, but with Maka having just joined Shibusen, Spirit had been hounding him relentlessly in order to give his daughter a further advantage against the other potential meisters there.

The DeathScythe actually seemed to be under the delusion he would actually be training Maka alongside the already intensive training that would be offered by Shibusen in the NOT class. He had already trained the girl over the summer and she was well-versed in both theoretical and practical knowledge of the Soul Arts. Any further training would likely be a waste until she had selected a partner, which might not happen for quite some time. Although...

Stein frowned and took another drag before breathing out a lungful of smoke.

From what he'd been hearing lately, Maka might have a few other things on her mind other than just joining Shibusen and finding a partner. The girl had seemed to be growing incredibly distant from her father, not to mention towards Stein as well during their last few training sessions.

The scientist hadn't particularly cared provided she kept her abilities at the exceptional level to which he'd trained them, but to see the normally cheerful girl turn sour so suddenly had been a little odd.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Lord Death interrupted, cocking his head to the side.

"It's nothing," Stein answered, banishing all thoughts of his pupil and her irritating father from his mind. "I'll continue to keep an eye out for this Lord Voldemort and continue reporting back about their capabilities."

"Alright then. I look forward to hearing from you, Stein. Byeee!" the god sang as the mirror returned to its normal state.

Stein looked at the ceiling for the moment before groaning loudly. He then swivelled on his feet and marched out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Opening the door to Justin's kitchen a moment later, the scientist promptly sat down and picked up the quill he kept there for just such an occasion as this.

Angrily he scribbled something down a piece of parchment, doing his best to keep the wording polite and cordial, before almost strangling the smug-looking owl standing on the table so he could tie the letter to its leg. Without a moment to lose, Stein then opened the window and the bird practically launched itself away from him as fast as it could.

"Bad news?" Justin asked casually, munching on a piece of toast on the other side of the table.

"Looks as if I'll be spending at least one more year at that place," Stein responded, gathering his books and parchment. "I was rather late responding so I'll need to go to Diagon Alley and make sure I have everything. Dumbledore also mentioned something about new 'security measures' and I want to make sure they won't jeopardise my mission."

"Hmm," Justin murmured as if in agreement, before a sly smile crept across his face. "You sure you don't need me to come with you? You might get lost."

"I'll be fine," Stein replied curtly. "Their anti-muggle spells are only effective if I'm unaware they exist. I know where Diagon Alley is so I'll be fine."

"If you say so, old man," the Death Scythe smirked before putting his earphones back in and closing his eyes. "Not my fault if you walk right past it again."

'Cocky brat,' Stein thought to himself as he left the room. 'Tezca needs to have a word with him.'

So those anti-muggle spells had caught him off guard a couple of times and he had needed Justin to show him the way again. Now that he had the entrance to Diagon Alley well-scouted out in his mind and with his soul perception on alert it was impossible for any number of misdirection or muggle-repellent charms to distract him from the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron.

Trying to buy another wand from Ollivander had been awkward enough without further complications just entering the damn alley. His excuse that his wand had been destroyed (again) had received a raised eyebrow and a long silence between the two. At least he had the pieces this time.

Stein was certain that man could outstare a cat.

A few minutes later had Stein walking down the street towards said entrance and bypassing the defences with determined ease. Slipping into his polite teacher persona with all the ease of a seasoned swimmer dipping into their favourite pool, he waved politely towards Tom the barman before heading through the pub and opening the secondary entrance to step into the most magical street in Britain.

The familiar feel of magic was in the air and Stein barely stopped his lip from curling. Giving his screw a good couple of clockwise cranks to calm himself, he then walked forwards into the alley and into the crowds.

As he made his way through the streets, something seemed off to him. Stein looked around cautiously, half expecting to see some sort of mugger or Witch to try and kill him, but there was nothing unusual that he could spot.

At least not with his normal senses.

Closing his eyes in concentration, Stein was able to feel out the emotions of the people around him. Was it just him or was there an undercurrent of fear around him?

Turning his screw slightly to focus in on it, Stein scanned the souls all around him, the familiar differing shades of blue coming into existence as he did so. His eyes narrowed in concentration. It was like there was some sort of anxiety; a niggle at the backs of the minds of many of the witches and wizards here.

How perplexing.

Were people actually worried about Voldemort despite what had been written in the newspapers about him?

It was true that these people seemed more paranoid and suspicious than mu- normal humans, but it seemed a little much considering how little information they must have. The Daily Prophet had hardly been truthful in its reporting, preferring to make out Quirinius as a dangerous mad man rather than an actual disciple of a former Dark Lord.

Stein sighed and let his vision return to normal. Whatever it was that was bothering everyone he'd find out later. For now he had a job to do. Opening the door to the nearest bookstore, he briefly nodded towards the clerk before browsing the muggle studies section of the popular bookshop, looking to see if anything interesting had popped up.

The shelves seemed practically identical to how they seemed last year with familiar titles staring back at him as he examined the bookcase for any newer editions.

As his eyes skimmed over familiar old passages decrying muggles and harping on about wizarding kind's supremacy his thoughts began to wander. As Stein had requested, Spirit had been keeping a surprisingly dutiful eye on Nurse Medusa, although Stein was sure Spirit would have done it anyway for less... pure reasons.

Things weren't adding up- no, they were adding up and that was the problem. The women's record was perfectly clean; almost sickeningly so. She had apparently lost her parents and two sisters to a vicious pre-kishin attack almost twenty years ago that checked out with the mission reports. Stein knew they checked out because he had personally spent hours crosschecking and looking through the records just to make sure.

With nowhere else to go, the eight year old had begged the meister and weapon (who Stein had also interviewed) who killed the pre-kishin to take her back with them. They had done so and Medusa had grown up in Death City, had gone to school, and made plenty of friends (who could also confirm knowing her since childhood). Eventually she became a nurse so she could make sure 'no-one else had to suffer like her family' and could patch up the 'brave warriors of Shibusen'.

Stein's lip curled. It was utterly disgusting, but completely solid so he couldn't say anything. Spirit's own sleuthing hadn't revealed anything else other than the woman's incredible hatred of the DeathScythe (something Stein couldn't really hold against her), as Stein had figured it would.

Of course the reason he had Spirit of all people keep an eye on her was so that she would be too busy to deal with his flirting to properly check on what Stein was doing. Although to give the DeathScythe credit, she at least couldn't do anything obviously out of character if he was watching while Stein was away. Some would call it cruel manipulation of his friend, but Stein saw Spirit's uncanny... way with women as a tool to be utilised to his own benefit. If it got Spirit a few more bruises than usual then it was the idiot's own fault.

Stein's eyes flickered over the same line over and over again as his hand came up to turn his screw a couple more times.

Since the incident when he had first met Medusa she hadn't done anything suspicious at all. Merely carrying out her duties with such a saccharine attitude it made Stein's teeth hurt just watching. Yet innocent nurses didn't just carry around top secret documents they shouldn't even know existed Even if she was a traitor, or even worse a Witch herself, she was probably just biding her time until a chance to do some damage revealed itself. She was probably planning on stealing one of the many dangerous artefacts hidden underneath Shibusen.

Stein frowned before closing the book. Maybe he was just being paranoid. It wasn't like a Witch would be able to keep up a Soul Protect spell for over twenty years without slipping up once. He was obviously overthinking things, just like Spirit said he always did.

But there was just something about her...

Sighing, the meister replaced the book and stood up in order to leave. Turning around he made his way back towards the exit. At least he hadn't needed to buy a wand, Stein figured. He started when the nearby window suddenly shattered and two struggling figures hit the wooden floor of the bookshop.

Startled screams and squeals erupted from those nearby as Stein observed the scene with amusement. The two wizards weren't even using magic, simply settling for using their fists to beat the snot out of each other.

Hilarious as it was to see the two ineffectually wailing on each other, it would be best if he stepped in. Leaning over and grabbing the two wizards by the back of their robes, Stein forcefully pulled them away from each other.

The sudden lack of contact between one another seemed to jolt them back into lucidity. The blonde-haired one immediately jerked himself out of Stein's grip and straightened himself with as much dignity as he could muster.

"Of course you would attack me like an animal," the blonde practically spat. "It seems you act just like the vermin you love so much!"

The other wizard tried to lunge forwards again, but Stein's hand on his robes stopped him from moving. He struggled for a moment before falling limp as he realised it was useless. Upon seeing he was safe, the blonde smirked as best he could through his split lip and opened his mouth again.

"Consider yourself lucky you're in the presence of someone with more sense. Another incident like that and your little movement will lose all it's credibility. Then where will you be I wonder? Good day."

He nodded towards Stein before walking out of the store through the window the two of them had just smashed through. The crowd around the window, who Stein just noticed had gathered, parted as the man stomped through.

"Come, Draco," the man commanded and Stein watched with interest as Draco Malfoy meekly followed after the man who was undoubtedly his father.

The second year's face was red with embarrassment and with a quick glance back towards the crowd he and his father vanished round a nearby corner. As the drama was mostly over, the crowd began to disperse and Stein looked at the other wizard he was still holding.

"Have you calmed down? Or do I have to keep a hold of you?" the meister asked, fixing the man with an expectant gaze.

The wizard sighed and nodded, so Stein let the shorter man go and he straightened up nervously.

"Sorry about that," he said, gesturing towards the annoyed looking wizard behind the counter. "I'll fix it up immediately."

He withdrew his wand from his pocket and with a simple wave the glass all flew back into its frame and formed an unbroken window once again. Not for the first time, Stein found himself amazed with the convenience of these people's magic.

"And I apologise to you as well for having to stop us," the red-haired man continued, looking towards Stein this time before staring for a moment at his face with clear interest.

Stein simply waited patiently. This had happened before. Even these people found the large screw sticking out of the side of his head rather off-putting, not to mention the stitches that lined the left side of his face and his clothes. Not that these idiots even knew what stitches were...

"Pardon me for being so rude, but are those stitches?"

Stein blinked.

What?

"Y-yes they are," Stein replied kindly, trying to hide his surprise. "To be honest I'm rather shocked you know what they are. I haven't met many British Wizards who have heard of them."

The red-haired wizard chuckled jovially.

"Well I do have an interest in muggles," he said, positively beaming despite the real shiner of a black eye he had. "I always found it fascinating how they managed to get through their lives as well as we do without magic. Down at the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office we get plenty of opportunities to find out new things about them."

Now this was very interesting. It seemed that his initial observations were correct in that there were some wizards who weren't as dismissive of non-magical humans as many of the pure-blooded families seemed to suggest. This was definitely something he should report to Lord Death. Knowing for certain their whole culture wasn't built on enforced racism made it far less likely that Lord Death would ask him to do something drastic.

"Then it seems we have something in common," Stein smiled. "I teach Muggle Studies at Hogwarts and I myself have always found them truly fascinating. So alike us yet so different in many ways."

As if Stein had passed some sort of hidden test, the man's countenance lightened even further.

"True, true! There is very little difference between us and the muggles," the wizard said. "I've always been sure to make sure my sons grew up with this awareness as well. They talk about you alot at home, you know?"

He must have seen the confused look on Stein's face because he quickly apologised.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I haven't even introduced myself! My name is Arthur Weasley, I work for the Ministry."

Well that explained it. The red hair and the acceptance towards muggles certainly seemed to be staples of the Weasley genome. Now that he had mentioned it the resemblance between him and pretty much all of his sons seemed stupidly obvious. In fact as Stein focused on his soul perception, most of them were outside the shop right now, probably debating whether or not to enter the shop and see if their father was alright.

He frowned. For some reason Harry Potter seemed to be with them. Stein could clearly sense that dormant chunk of Voldemort's once powerful soul right outside...

Then Arthur stuck out his hand and Stein was forced to bring his focus back onto the wizard. He firmly shook the offered hand, whilst his other hand idly turned his screw and examined the man's soul in closer detail.

"Professor Franken Stein," he introduced himself, his yellow eyes drinking in every detail of the man's soul as he did so.

Nothing particularly unusual. Honesty, bravery and loyalty seemed to be the most noticeable characteristics, but other than that his soul was rather boring. Although his interest in normal humans was something that Stein did find interest in, there seemed to be nothing otherwise remarkable about Arthur Weasley.

Arthur seemed a little uncomfortable under Stein's gaze, so he turned off his soul perception and quickly set a charming smile on his face.

"Sorry, it's just remarkable how much your sons all look like you," Stein said. "I take it red hair must run in the family."

"Like you wouldn't believe!" Arthur chuckled, seemingly unoffended. "I hope Fred and George haven't been too much of a handful. They're good boys really, but I know they can be quite... taxing to deal with."

"They gave me very little trouble," Stein lied smoothly. "Despite their determination to irritate all of their instructors they're remarkably intelligent once their interests have been peaked."

Arthur seemed surprised.

"You know you're the first teacher to have ever said that-"

At that the shop door opened and a furious, plump red-haired woman marched in, her eyes locked onto Arthur. Stein saw the man pale and could just make out the word 'bugger' before the woman who was undoubtedly his wife unleashed her fury.

"Arthur Weasley!" she yelled and to Stein's amusement the man's back went ramrod straight. "By Merlin's beard what do you think you've been doing?! What kind of example does this set for our children, to see their father solve his problems with his fists?!"

"I know I shouldn't have lashed out like that," Arthur said, using his best meek husband voice.

"That's good."

"I should have hexed him instead-"

"Arthur!"

Stein surveyed the two with a strange expression on his face. They were so unlike Spirit and Kami, yet in many ways somewhat similar. Despite their bickering he could see in the two Weasley's souls just how strong their bond was. It was rare he could see two people's feelings so openly, could see their love for each other so obviously. He grimaced, turning his screw clockwise a few times to focus himself. It wouldn't do to have him cause an incident at the moment.

Adopting a smile, Stein excused himself and left the bookstore empty-handed. He briefly nodded towards the other Weasley's who were lurking around outside, keeping an eye on Fred and George in case they tried anything. Funny how he didn't see Potter amongst them.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Stein decided to stop off at the Magical Menagerie for some stress relief, before heading back home.

This year at Hogwarts was probably not going to be as interesting as the last he figured, walking by several Wanted posters without even sparing them a glance. Maybe after this Lord Death would let him end this stupid mission and get back to doing research back at his home.

* * *

><p>The Hogwarts Express looked just the same as before. A bright shining red with steam coiling languidly around the beautiful machine; the magic in the air was thick enough for Stein to taste as he boarded the train and quickly found an empty compartment to sit in. He was going to just use the mirror he had left in his office but figured that might have been suspicious for him to just appear in an empty castle all of a sudden.<p>

From reading Hogwarts: A History, Stein knew a little bit about the castle's defences and detection systems. Him somehow bypassing them all might draw suspicion if anyone could be bothered to check and Stein wasn't going to fail his mission just from being careless. It had been fine during the graduation when none of the teachers had really left the castle for the holidays and liberal amounts of alcohol were being thrown around. But for the start of a brand new school year a higher standard would probably be expected from the staff.

Not that they wouldn't get smashed tonight anyway.

Stein was interrupted from his musings when the compartment door opened. Standing in the doorway was another man holding a suitcase in his hand. His robes were easily the shabbiest Stein had seen on a wizard yet and his overall complexion was rather ragged and downtrodden. His face was pale and almost corpse-like in it's haggardness, yet his eyes were bright and far more alive than the rest of him seemed to indicate. This man was clearly not a student and he seemed just as surprised as Stein felt as the two stared at one another. He hadn't encountered another teacher on the train last year so he hadn't really expected to meet one today.

'Oh this must be the new Defence teacher,' Stein realised, putting on a friendly smile.

The man smiled back a little awkwardly, his eyes darting towards the screw momentarily, before he entered the compartment.

"Er- you don't mind?" the wizard asked, hesitating for a moment.

His voice seemed rather gentle and unsure despite his haggard exterior. Briefly Stein was reminded in some ways of Hagrid before he realised the man was probably expecting a reply.

"It's fine," Stein replied, gesturing to the seat opposite him. "Trust me, you'll want to savour what time you have away from the students while you can."

'That is if they don't come into my compartment again,' he thought to himself, keeping alert for the telltale souls of those twins.

The man chuckled, putting his suitcase down and practically collapsing into the seat next to it. Stein took note of the dark circles under his eyes and the now obvious patches of fabric hastily sewn onto his robes.

"I take it you're also a new teacher?" the wizard asked and Stein nodded.

"Professor Franken Stein, Muggle Studies," he spoke and stretched out his hand.

"Professor Remus Lupin, Defence Against the Dark Arts," Remus copied with good humour, smiling and shaking Stein's hand.

With his other hand, Stein reached for his screw and gave it a good couple of clockwise turns. The cranking noise made Remus wince a little and Stein took the opportuniy to look at the man's soul. What he saw forced him to give his screw another few turns to stop himself from dissecting the man. It was just like when he saw those spiders in the forest and those strange double souls that Potter and Quirrel possessed. The urge to tear, to dissect, was almost overpowering but Stein reigned it in and settled on merely observing.

About twice the size of Arthur Weasley's soul, it floated in the middle of the wizard's chest an astonishing mixture of swirling light green and dark blue colours dancing endlessly across its surface. Patterns formed and vanished almost languidly, like they were taunting Stein. Changing and vanishing before he could truly comprehend their meaning. But it was the two slight deformities at the top of his soul that really drew his eye.

Poking out of the top of the soul were two extensions. Extensions that looked exactly like a pair of wolf ears.

The man grinned awkwardly before sliding his hand out of Stein's grip. It was then that Stein realised he was staring and leaned back in his seat before lighting a cigarette. It wasn't as good as his screw, but the man was already anxious enough without him creeping him out any further.

And Stein wanted the chance to study the man's soul a little bit more.

"I apologise for staring," Stein began. "I was just taken off guard by your appearance, no offense."

Remus grimaced.

"None taken," he replied. "I haven't exactly been able to find work for quite some time. Dumbledore was kind enough to seek me out and offer me this job."

Stein nodded politely, keeping an eye on the man's soul. He could see the gratitude towards the Headmaster bubble up towards the surface, followed by anxiety and ,most interestingly, regret.

Fascinating. Why would a man who had fallen on hard times regret taking a well-paid job? This would require further study.

Was he afraid of something? Or someone? Dumbledore was a powerful wizard to be sure, but was he intimidating enough to make Remus this anxious? The man was a schemer though, perhaps he had something planned?

The meister wanted to investigate further, but he was no Joe Buttataki. If he wanted to find out anything else about this man he'd have to find some way to disable him and then dissect that remarkable soul of his.

Or he could just keep talking to him.

"-actually rather nervous. Dumbledore turned down a rather prominent figure in order to get me the job and I'm worried I might not live up to his expectations. I'm not really sure why he chose me, but I'm grateful to be able to go back to Hogwarts," Remus continued, his tone becoming somewhat wistful as he looked out the window. "I had some of the best times of my life there."

Stein nodded, noticing the sudden influx of souls as the majority of students began boarding the train.

"I've heard much the same from other teachers," the meister noted. "Most people seem to have fond memories of the place."

"Oh yes, you don't sound British at all," Remus said. "Are you from America?"

Stein nodded.

"I thought as much. Things must be very different over here for you."

"You have no idea."

Stein sighed before leaning back into his seat and taking a long draw.

"I just hope this year is quieter than the last," he lied, breathing out smoke the curled upwards and through the open window. "You must have heard about all that stuff with Quirrel and such."

Remus chuckled, but it was filled with bitterness.

"I somehow doubt it'll be quiet this year," he said.

"And why's that?" Stein inquired.

Remus looked surprised, piercing blue eyes staring into Stein's yellow ones.

"Haven't you heard?" he asked tentatively. "It's been all over the papers for the past couple of months."

This threw Stein for a loop. He hadn't really been keeping up with current events in the Wizarding World - part of him secretly hoping he had washed his hands of the business entirely and wouldn't have to come back. Being this uninformed was his punishment he supposed.

"I've been in America for the summer," Stein explained, hoping Remus would buy the excuse. "I haven't read the Daily Prophet for quite some time. What's happened?"

Remus's expression turned grave, his face looking even more hallowed and weary than before.

"A mass murderer broke out of Azkaban," he spoke, his voice strangely hollow. "A man called Sirius Black. He personally murdered at least 13 people and was responsible for the deaths of many more."

Sirius Black? Stein had never heard of the man. Not that this mattered. A mass murderer on the loose, while a cause for concern, didn't explain Remus's sudden change in temperament. It did explain the increase of security at the school that Dumbledore had mentioned. Doubtless many parents would be terrified of letting their children out of sight without some sort of reassurance.

But he broke out of Azkaban? That truly peaked Stein's interest. From what little he'd read about it no-one had ever escaped from that prison since its construction about five hundred years ago. He must have been incredibly powerful to have accomplished such a feat.

Stein held back a wicked grin; electricity flitting across his palms. He couldn't wait to meet him.

"But tell me more about yourself," Remus said, forcibly changing the topic as the train finally began to move. "You said you taught Muggle Studies?"

"Yes, only for a year though. I've also been helping to run the Duelling Club."

"Oh, there's a Duelling Club now?"

"There was. Without Quirrel to help supervise and teach we've had to cancel it for the foreseeable future."

"Well I certainly wouldn't mind helping. It's part of my job after all."

The conversation soon drifted to other more relaxed topics and the two men soon began discussing other meaningless topics to pass the time. It wasn't until about half way through the trip that Stein felt a nervous bundle of anxiety peek into their compartment and then quickly dart away.

'What was Granger doing?' the meister thought as he felt her soul continue to move along the train.

"Who was that?" Remus asked, tired eyes blinking towards the compartment door like he'd just seen a ghost.

"That appeared to be Miss Granger," Stein said, eyes narrowing. "I don't think that was the first time she's gone past either."

"She's probably looking for her friends," Remus shrugged before shivering a little. "If she was looking for a Professor she would have said something."

Stein nodded, although the events that occurred last year came to the forefront of his mind. Granger wouldn't come to a teacher if she thought her or her friends would get into trouble. Not unless it was something dangerous anyway.

He decided to stop focusing on it and continued to focus on Remus's soul. He had a few theories about what it could mean about the man, but it was the strange shifting colours that were truly confusing him. Almost as if the man was somehow more than a mere human, more than just a wizard. But it was wild, uncontrolled. The man should be a raving lunatic according to his soul, the differing natures and instincts driving him mad, but he seemed perfectly normal! Stein was transfixed. If only he could get a closer look...

Before he could further entertain such thoughts something else made him stop. Stein opened his eyes again just as Miss Granger's soul looked into their compartment again. She seemed indecisive this time and more than a little panicked.

"Er, Professor Stein?" she asked, looking at him with trepidation. "I don't want to be a bother, but-"

She stopped, her expression thoughtful and nervous.

"Yes?" Stein encouraged.

"I-I can't find Ron or Harry anywhere. I don't think they're on the train!"

She said all this very fast, part embarrassed and part worried for the other two. Stein frowned as Remus stood up. The only way students were supposed to arrive at Hogwarts was by the train. Hogwarts: A History, as well as a couple of other textbooks and Professor McGonagall had all been very clear on that. Stein immediately focused his soul perception and took out his wand.

Giving it a lazy couple of waves and making it glow impressively; he extended his senses over the entire train and searched for any traces of Potter or Weasley's souls. Stein just thought he felt the familiar slice of soul that marked Potter before something else slammed into his senses with the force of a freight train.

Breathing hard, Stein dropped his wand and almost collapsed onto the floor.

"Professor!" Granger cried, as he steadied himself by putting a hand on the wall.

Remus gave him a concerned look before drawing his own wand and handing back Stein's with a surprisingly steady hand.

"Something's coming," Stein breathed, recovering from the shock of so many unexpected powerful wavelengths. "A lot of somethings."

Remus frowned as Granger opened her mouth.

"But there aren't any dangerous dark creatures native to Scotland," she began, although her nervousness was plain to see. "Nothing should be able to attack us on the Hogwarts Express."

"Never underestimate the unknown," Remus stated wisely.

Stein was about to agree with him, but the words were taken out of his mouth by the sudden jolt and squeal of brakes as the train came to a stop. The lamps that lit the compartments flickered and died, leaving everyone in pitch blackness.

In an instant there was light as Remus lit his wand with a silent _Lumos_. Finally gaining control over his breathing, Stein stood up straight and exchanged a concerned look with Remus. The man's bright eyes looked out the window, peering into the inky blackness and apparently seeing something concerning.

"Stay here," he ordered to Granger, before opening the compartment door. "We'll sweep the train. Make sure everyone's ok and find out what's wrong."

Stein followed him, shutting the door behind him and leaving Granger alone in the darkness. She would be safe provided whatever it was didn't come through the window. Or get by them. Stein inhaled through his nose, the darkness seemed thicker somehow. The light from Remus's wand barely seemed to extend past the two of them, casting an oppressive atmosphere.

"What is it?" the meister asked, noting the worried expression on the man's face.

"I'm not sure," Remus replied, a sudden edge to his voice that hadn't been there before. "But we should check on the students. I'll go along this corridor, you go the other way."

Stein nodded, channelling his soul wavelength through his wand and causing it to light up like Remus's.

"Stein," Remus said, before they parted ways. "Good luck."

"You too."

With that the two separated and vanished into their respective sides of the train.

Dr Stein opened a compartment door, shining his wand inside to see the terrified faces of several first years. It seemed even these untrained children could sense what was in the air, even if it was only subconsciously. Oh wait, they were looking at him like that. Perhaps a tall stitched-up man with a screw through his head appearing in front of them wasn't the most reassuring thing.

As much as he wanted to frighten them a little further, he restrained himself. Giving them an encouraging smile and reassuring little speech that seemed to alleviate their fears a little he moved on to the next compartment.

Suddenly he stopped, stretching his sense into the darkness ahead as far as he dared, Stein saw movement. Powerful wavelengths were flowing throughout the train and Stein felt his grip on his wand tighten.

Pre-kishin was his first thought, but they were different to that. Their souls were too different, their wavelength too powerful to be mere pre-kishin. It was that wavelength that was the most worrying. Sweeping over these children and even Stein himself, he could now recognise it for what it truly was.

A Madness Wavelength.

Dozens of them.

Stein stood there letting the feel of it wash over him. The wavelengths were seeping through the train like mist, overpowering the children's souls and making them experience terror. He could feel it all as the creatures' influence spread closer and closer towards him, the souls of the little ones screaming and crying for relief, to be saved from this unholy terror that had gripped them.

It was glorious.

He covered his hand with his mouth, unable to keep in his sudden giggles. No pre-kishin had wavelengths like these! No pre-kishin could reduce so many people to states of panic just by their mere presence. It was like music to his ears, feeling the joy and happiness practically sucked out of those who went near the strange creatures.

And they were hungry. Yes, boy were they hungry! Their souls practically screamed hunger, yearning to devour the delectable, defenceless young souls in front of them. But they passed by compartment after compartment, something keeping their hunger in check. It must have been some strange magic or bargain or deal staying their hands from the innocent souls in front of them and keeping them from feasting like they so desperately craved.

Another round of mad giggles escaped Stein's mouth as one of the creatures drew closer, its soul suddenly swelling with ravenous delight at the sight of such a large meal. He couldn't stop the giggles that were coming out of his mouth now, no matter how hard he bit his lip or tried to turn his screw, nothing could quell the madness within him now.

Stein could see it now through the darkness. A cloaked humanoid with no face or legs, floating gently towards him as if propelled by a spring breeze. Its eyeless gaze clearly locked onto his soul, almost unsure if such a powerful soul were real.

_Terrified, standing in front of another black shadow. Stein's tiny legs trembled as he tried to back away from the creature, but it wouldn't let him._

Lightning crackled in Stein's hand as he stood up straight, glasses askew, in order to stare at the beautiful creature in front of him. Imagine the things he could learn from such a soul, such a strange being. The secrets he could discover! New insights into madness! How to control it, how to wield it like a tempered blade as sharp and deadly as any Death Scythe!

_He couldn't possibly stand against this. No human ever could, he realised, as the shadow glided forwards towards him._

The windows in the glass began to crack over with ice as the being sped up; it's control slipping at the prospect of devouring Stein's inhumanely powerful soul. The meister wasn't slacking off either. His own soul flared up with the madness that was in the air. A rictus grin stretched across his face as he stepped towards the creature and tossing his wand aside.

_His weapon, a scalpel he'd stolen when the nurse hadn't been looking, lay bent and broken beside him._

There was no thought to keep a low profile. No desire to blend in, to keep his true nature a secret anymore. All that mattered in that very moment was chopping up this specimen in front of him. He wanted to slice, invade and cut and _dissect_.

Yes! That's what he'd do! Cut it up and learn it's secrets! Who cares if it died?! There were plenty more! Yes all around him, drawn towards his soul; a feast! Yellow lightning arced from one hand to the other as he stalked towards the monster, his yellow eyes glowing along with the power he wielded in his hands.

_It was above him now. Standing far taller than any man; eyeless sockets peering down on him._

Two clawed arms shot out from underneath the cloak to try to hold him down. With inhuman speed Stein ducked under them and shoved his hands forward, his own wavelength making contact with the creature's chest.

_He held out his hands in front of him like the child he was. To try and ward the god away._

The creature _screamed._

A soul-shattering sound as Stein tore its soul apart, it's wavelength vanishing into nothing along with its physical form. The pressure from its terrible wavelength eased slightly, but the others were closing in.

Already Stein could feel what little lucidity he had left begin to fade away. His desire to dissect, to understand this _terror, _was just overpowering. He was drowning, gasping for air as he tried to find buoyancy in the storm of madness within his mind.

Dimly he was aware of the sound of glass shattering, of the screams of another creature as he tore it apart with a sick laugh. It was muffled. Like it was behind a door; like it was someone else's problem and he could just close his eyes and let the currents wash him away.

_A white hand entered his vision. A hand that contained more power than any nation on Earth._

Yellow light flashed around him as another tried to grab him from behind. He could sense the shock in its soul at the pain, the confusion it had over this foreign feeling, before his hand clamped onto its head and reduced it to nothing more than a memory.

His grin widened at another victory, another kill, but more were coming, too many. His soul was wavering under this onslaught of madness; the terror overwhelming him inch by inch. He could feel his soul straining as invisible hands began to pull it apart. His lightning began to fade as he couldn't do anything but let himself go limp and fall.

_The white hand extended._

It was over.

A bright flash of light.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And so year two begins! As I'm sure you've noticed, we have Lupin and Sirius Black instead of Lockhart. Well the reasons for that will become clear later on as the first few changes to canon slowly begin to take hold. Thank you to everyone still reading this story for being very patient. I know disappointing it is when stories you like stop updating for whatever reason.  
><strong>

**Know that I won't abandon this story without a good reason, which I'll explain as well if I ever do. **

**HUGE thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited or followed. Your support is always appreciated!  
><strong>

**Any questions about the story you want me to answer, just PM me and I'll answer them.**

**Hope you enjoyed!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: So here it is everyone! Wow, can't believe so many people are actually interested in this story still. Sorry for taking so long with the chapter, I'll admit this story has been on low priority for quite some time. But that's going to change. See the end Author's Note for more details.  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Soul Eater**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Accidents<strong>

Stein awoke suddenly.

Senses alert, the ghosts of his visions still lurking behind his eyes, he flared his soul wavelength menacingly, sending it out all around him. It was unlike anything any other Meister could produce. An all-consuming wave; one that would shred anything, mind, body or soul to dust.

Well, that was his intention.

Instead, Stein heard a small crackle of electricity as his soul pulsed weakly. There was a gasp that was far too close for comfort and Stein realised someone was holding him up!

His hand darted out and grabbed at the source of the sound, ready to dissect and _tear through it_, to get at the soul contained within. A beautiful green-blue soul, howling in defiance like a monstrous wolf running underneath the light of cackling full moon. Oh, he would make it _heel._

Only then, gradually, did sanity return to Stein.

He was suddenly aware he was holding on to what happened to be the front of Remus' robes. He took a quick millisecond glance at the startled man's face before the memories of the attack came rushing back. He had fought and killed several creatures; horrible, hooded beasts that had driven him into a deep pit of terror and despair.

The newest teacher yelled as Stein pulled him closer, nearly unbalancing the both of them.

"What happened?" he demanded, his senses sweeping the area wildly for more of those... things. "Where are we?!"

Remus blinked, a little shocked at the sudden recovery and the intense look on Stein's face.

"Um, you fainted and right now we're getting off the train near Hogwarts," Remus supplied helpfully with a nervous smile. "How are you feeling?"

Stein quickly pulled himself away from Remus, his legs only shaking slightly as they fully supported his weight once more. He had passed out?! That was unusual...

He was physically uninjured and he hadn't suffered any blows to the head recently. He had never fainted because of anything other than blood loss before, so he was a little unaccustomed to the sensation.

He put a hand to his screw, turning it slowly clockwise. His surroundings quickly came into focus, along with the souls of all the children disembarking the train some ways away. Oh, so he hadn't been unconscious for that long then? Strange, it felt longer for some reason...

Although speaking of strange, his whole body felt unnaturally cold and stiff, like he'd just taken an ice bath. Not to mention he still felt on edge despite there being no danger around. He could still feel the adrenaline pumping through his body, making him shake and his eyes dart around.

Shaking himself to try and get rid of the sensation, Stein reached into his coat and hastily lit a cigarette. The familiar feeling was enough for his mind to grasp onto and he felt his soul slowly reassert itself over his festering madness.

"Fainted? Do you have to put it like that?" Stein asked once he was sure his voice wouldn't shake. "I do have my pride you know. At least tell me the students didn't see."

"Well..." Remus grimaced, reaching into his robes. "A few-"

"That's not too bad."

"-dozen."

"Damn."

There was the sound of crinkling foil and Stein turned to see a brown bar being presented to him.

"Here, this'll help," Remus explained, an honest smile on his face. "It'll warm you up after a Dementor attack."

Stein grabbed the bar and examined it for a moment. It was obviously chocolate; he could even see the name of the company who made it imprinted on the top. Was it magical in some way? Either way, it would be unwise to accept such a gift, so he refused the chocolate as politely as possible. Remus just shrugged and ate the bar himself.

'Dementor'.

That word was familiar. He must have come across it among the small library of books he had read throughout the last year. Right now, he was still a little too disorientated to focus. How could those things have had the power to reduce even him, Shibusen's greatest meister, to a fainting wreck?!

"I've checked on the other students," Remus informed him, interrupting his internal lamenting. "It seems no one else was outright attacked by the Dementors, although there were a couple of close calls. A few students tried to stand up to the Dementors."

Had Stein been a considerate person he would have winced. The thought of children facing those things, considering how well he fared...

"This sounds like there'll be quite a few angry letters going around," Stein commented, quickly checking he still had his wand on him.

Ollivander would definitely murder him if he had to replace it a second time.

"I can't imagine anyone being happy about this."

"I know," Remus groaned. "Dumbledore will be furious. Letting the guards of Azkaban anywhere near children is inexcusable and the Ministry should be well aware of that."

Wait, those things were government officials?! Guards, even?

Azkaban was the wizarding prison, so those were the prison guards looking for their prisoner?!

The thought struck Stein with the force of the Hogwarts Express. Maybe the Ministry wasn't quite as pathetic as he had first suspected. Being able to unleash monsters like those on anyone who angered them would be quite the intimidation tactic, not to mention being able to control them to such a degree that they were confident they wouldn't outright attack their children.

He was still considering the implications of this when they entered the carriage and were carried all the way towards the school.

"Hopefully that's the last we see of them," Remus said, looking out the window as if expecting to see them gliding over the treetops.

"Well now you've said that they'll probably all be sitting next to us at the dinner table," Stein added, similarly checking the area with his Soul Perception as their carriage practically flew by the slower student ones.

Remus snorted at the image he was obviously conjuring in his head. Then they passed a child in a carriage, who happened to be crying his eyes out, and the Professor sobered up instantly.

"Let's just hope it doesn't become a reality," he muttered, soul burning with a protective fervour.

Stein observed this with interest. He was already attached to the students, probably because he was once one here himself. His mental discipline had helped him recover pretty quickly, but the students didn't have any such luck. They had bunched up together into far larger groups than normal; their souls all quivering together like little candle flames in a stiff breeze. It was honestly rather adorable in a way.

Adorable how easily he could snuff them out...

_Crank! Crank!_

Alright then, Stein decided turning his screw, mental discipline might not have been as effective as first hypothesised. Maybe he should have said yes to the chocolate, it was probably magical.

Stein leant back against the seat as the entrance came into view. If he was going to be encountering those things regularly this year was going to be worse than just torture, it would be pure undiluted hell.

The two Professors left the carriage as soon as it came to a halt, Remus pausing only to pick up his small suitcase. They hurried to the door where they were greeted by Filius, who beamed up at the two of them.

Stein quickly slipped back into his friendly teacher persona with ease and smiled nervously.

"Er, sorry I didn't realise I was supposed to already be here," he apologised, with a small smile. "I didn't know."

Filius laughed.

"Not to worry, you're hardly the first to have made such a mistake," the small man said jovially, waving it off. "And Remus Lupin, it has been far too long. Why I haven't seen you since your graduation!"

"It is good to see you again, Professor Flitwick," Remus replied, smiling warmly at the man.

"Oh none of that Professor nonsense, my boy," Filius responded. "Just call me Filius. We're colleagues now and I'm sure you'll fit in just as well now as you did back then."

"I can only hope," Remus responded warmly, although Stein felt a flicker of sadness in his soul as he said it.

"Well come in, come in! We don't want to miss the feast!"

The two quickly followed the diminutive Professor, before Remus' eyes suddenly shot open as he remembered.

"Oh, Professor Fli- I mean Filius, has Harry Potter arrived safely at the castle?"

"No, not to my knowledge," Filius responded, his voice having lost its cheer. "I'll let Albus know to keep an eye out for the boy. Why, did something happen?"

"He wasn't on the train," Stein explained. "Nor was his friend, Ronald Weasley."

"Not on the-" Filius gasped. "Why didn't you say anything?!"

"I'm sorry Professor Flitwick," Remus apologised, old habits dying hard. "But we were distracted by the Dementors!"

"The Dementors were on the train?!" the little wizard squeaked. "Oh dear, oh dear oh dear. Albus must be informed immediately!"

He flicked his wand and Stein felt the wizard's soul shift. He watched in amazement as it's wavelength changed and shortened, before splitting itself from the soul and being surrounded with magic. Silver shot out of Filius' wand and smoothly formed the image of a buffalo.

Stein's mind immediately flew back to the silver cat that had spoken with Minerva's voice last year. This was obviously the same spell and it confirmed his suspicions beyond doubt that some spells did indeed use the soul of the caster in order to work. Was the primary purpose of this spell just for communication? It was a little too obvious for spying and for anyone with soul perception it was like a beacon.

So what other uses did it have?

Could these wizards actually be aware of its calming wavelength?

While Stein considered this, the huge animal then turned and sprinted up the corridor and out of sight.

"That should reach Albus quickly," Filius said, putting his wand back underneath his robes. "Of all the years for this to happen! Tell me exactly what happened."

Stein gestured towards Remus, who explained what happened. About the Granger girl, about the train stopping, the Dementors and Stein passing out. He had just about finished his story when there was an explosion of flame and Albus Dumbledore, with Fawkes sitting on his shoulder, was suddenly standing there amongst them.

"Ah, I do beg your pardon for the sudden entrance," the headmaster said quickly. "And I apologise for startling you, Professor Stein."

Stein, who had both his wand out and palm forwards, slowly lowered his arms.

"Sorry," he said, giving a meek smile. "I'm a little on edge."

"That's quite alright," Dumbledore turned to look at the others. "I already have a few others combing the grounds for Harry and Mr Weasley. You see, not long ago, I received a rather panicked floo message from a Mr Arthur Weasley. Apparently, the barrier at Platform 9 3/4 stopped working right before the two students were due to enter. Interestingly enough, he also reported that his flying car was gone when the barrier started working."

Stein blinked, trying to take this information in. The barrier stopped working? Sabotage? Badly needed maintenance? Wizards had flying cars? Dumbledore didn't seem particularly worried, although the man's soul flickered a little with anxiety for a reason the meister couldn't quite place.

"So what do you think happened?" Remus asked, still looking nervous. "That Siriu- I mean Black, actually managed to-"

"No, no," Dumbledore interrupted calmly. "It would take highly specialised and advanced magic to interrupt that old barrier, doubly so without being noticed or caught. I think it's far more likely that Potter and Weasley, being impatient twelve year old children, chose simply to take the flying car to Hogwarts this year."

Filius buried his face into his hands.

"Having taught those two for the past year," he began slowly. "Not to mention the stunt they pulled with the Philosopher's Stone; you might very well be correct, Albus. Those two do seem to possess more bravery than sense."

"I've seldom met a twelve year old that doesn't," Dumbledore commented with a chuckle. "Still, let us hope that they didn't get lost along the way. I have already used my own not inconsiderable resources to begin tracking their path. Wherever they are, we shall find them soon. Until then, I propose we do not worry about it and instead commence with the feast."

Stein didn't really feel like eating, but it was best to keep up appearances. The four soon approached the Great Hall where children were beginning to sit down amongst their friends and catch up from not having seen each other all summer. It was far from the festive and strangely joyous event that started the beginning of the last year however.

Their souls felt heavy, oppressed by their brief contact with the Dementors. Even though those strange creatures were far away, flirting at the very edges of Stein's senses, the children still started and looked nervously over their shoulders. It was almost as if they expected one of those hooded monstrosities to walk right through the door.

Stein himself could practically smell the fear in the air and it seemed none of his companions had missed it either. Dumbledore's gait seemed to change. Right before Stein's eyes the man transformed from bumbling headmaster to greatest wizard of his age.

Instantly, children began looking up towards them, their eyes fixed on Dumbledore's mighty countenance. And to Stein's utter amazement they began to calm. The fluttering of their souls subsided and their panic soon retreated and became only the occasional whisper.

This was the kind of respect and reassurance that someone truly great could accomplish.

Stein didn't understand it, never could. How a single person, without magic, without wavelengths or without uttering even a single word, could so reassuringly assert themselves amongst others. It was moments like these where the truly great shone and Dumbledore was barely even trying.

A sudden memory came to Stein.

_Arriving on the battlefield strewn with the dead, he alone stood against the deadly Witch Allitora, DeathScythe in hand. Then, from behind, he heard the young blood-soaked meisters and weapons cheer just as his opponent turned to face him. He thought nothing of it. The noise was nothing but an annoying distraction. One that would get in his way of dissecting this most interesting specimen..._

Then like a dying ember the memory vanished as he gave his screw a good couple of turns. He needed to focus right now!

As they soon walked behind the staff table to join the few teachers already sitting there. Stein said goodbye to Remus and took his usual place between Septima and the reinforced seat that belonged to Hagrid. Huh, he must have missed the man at the platform, somehow...

"You're looking a little pale there," Septima said, a touch of concern in her voice. "And you missed the meeting earlier. Does it have something to do with why everyone seems so tense?"

Stein nodded.

"It would seem Mr Potter and Mr Weasley have performed a vanishing act on us," he explained, noting the very worried look she gained. "Though Dumbledore seems to believe they'll show up soon."

"Well that's something at least," she responded, not mitigated at all. "Honestly! We lost Harry Potter?!"

"And with the Dementors about..." Stein muttered.

"It's Black we should be worried about," the witch said firmly. "I just hope the Dementors catch him quickly, they give everyone the creeps."

Stein froze for a second, suddenly fitting together the puzzle pieces he had been handed.

Oh.

Sirius Black? The famous mass murderer who escaped from prison recently? Increased security, Dementors are government officials...

_Oh._

The Dementors were after Sirius Black! That's why they were here! They were searching the train for a mass murderer and he... killed one of them.

A few of them in fact.

_Ah._

Stein slumped in his seat. That might have been a mistake; although he didn't feel like he had much choice at the time.

Now that he was sitting here in a warm room with plenty of powerful people around him to keep him in check, his brain seemed to be working again. So these Dementors, who worked for the wizarding government, went into the train searching for a famous mass murderer and instead he killed a few of them.

Lord Death was not going to be very happy with him.

A sudden gathering of souls distracted caught Stein's attention. Children were still entering the Great Hall, but that wasn't what he was sensing. The Dementors were congregating somewhere just beyond the grounds of the castle, outside of his range of soul perception.

Stein risked a quick glance at the headmaster, and found the man was looking down the table directly at him. Did the man somehow know? Did Dumbledore expect him to do something? Or was he expecting him to react?

Well, it wasn't like he would risk his cover just for Potter and Weasley. If the headmaster suspected him then it was only sensible he would do his best to fit in.

"So Septima, how was your summer?" Stein asked, deliberately avoiding Dumbledore's curious gaze.

"It could have been better honestly, what with-"

He slowly tuned her out, making sure to pay just enough attention to nod when it was appropriate. In reality his concentration was focused on the outside of the castle, where some odd events seemed to be occurring.

It was too far away to tell exactly what was happening, but he soon felt the Dementors leaving his range of soul perception. Instinctively, he felt himself relax.

"Is some'ing the matter, Stein?" a deep voice asked.

Stein forced himself to smile politely as Hagrid's massive frame sat down next to him.

"I'm feeling perfectly alright, Hagrid," he answered. "Although I did have a slight run in with our um... guests earlier today."

"Guests?" Hagrid's brow narrowed in thought.

"From Azkaban."

In an instant the giant's face lost all colour. The man swallowed hard with all the sound of bowling ball hitting the floor.

"No wond'r then," he said gruffly, a hand reaching into his ever-encompassing coat. "Not pleasan' that. Not at all."

The man withdrew his hand and slammed down the largest bottle of Firewhiskey, or in fact any type of drink, that Stein had ever seen. The table itself shook from the impact and Hagrid drew more than a few glares from the other professors. As well as a few giggles from nearby students.

"'Ere this'll warm yer right up," Hagrid said cheerfully, apparently oblivious to all that.

"Um... this is a little much," Stein admitted, resisting the temptation to say he was a teetotaller. "I mean I'm honoured but-"

"Nonsense," Hagrid said, clapping Stein on his back hard enough to push him into the table. "Think of it as a gif' from a friend."

Hagrid wouldn't take no for an answer, so Stein acquiesced. This was probably more alcohol than he could get through in a month. While it was a true a sound soul would dwell in a sound mind and a sound body, even Stein's soul didn't help his liver much with detoxifying alcohol.

"Thank you, Hagrid."

The man beamed down at him, before looking out towards the entrance.

"Ah, looks like the firs' years are here."

Stein moved the bottle aside to see Minerva leading this year's plethora of first year students into the Great Hall. The women's stern expression flickered towards Stein for a split second and he felt her annoyance.

Well it seemed he was still in trouble.

She then turned around and explained the whole sorting procedure just like last year. This time it was even more difficult to resist the temptation to try and dissect everything in sight. He kept getting looks as he loudly turned his screw over and over again.

It was frustrating him how little difference it seemed to be making. Eventually after Minerva's third annoyed glance towards him, Septima nudged him hard in the ribs and Stein was forced to give up for the moment and just watch the sorting.

He tapped his foot idly and bit his bottom lip hard. Anything to keep his mind off of his growing madness. Stein closed his eyes, trying to will time to go faster and not focus on any of the very interesting unique souls that were floating around in the room.

It was a meditation exercise he had taught himself long ago. By turning his Soul Perception inwards into his own mighty soul, he could better track and subdue his ever growing madness. The downside to this was it made him incredibly vulnerable to the outside world, but right now he didn't have anything to lose.

Stein settled in for a long meditation, only the lowest dins of Minerva's voice penetrated the bubble of his infested soul.

"Creevey, Colin."

Some likened it to falling down a cliff or standing at a precipice, something they could fall down at any moment.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Stein had never really likened it to that, although he could see how many could draw that conclusion.

"Lovegood, Luna."

But it wasn't hard to stay away from an edge, to keep yourself from tumbling down a cliff that you could see.

"RAVENCLAW!"

To him, it had always been more like trying to stay afloat in a tumulus ocean. You knew it was there, that it was all around you in every direction as far as the eye could see.

"Weasley, Ginevra."

There was no hope of rescue, of simply moving away from the ledge. Every waking moment you had to exert yourself to stay afloat, to use all your strength not to let your head drop beneath the water.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Because if you did, then you would never reach the surface again.

Stein awakened from his self-reflection thanks to the sudden feeling of the panicked soul behind him. Slowly the sounds of the world came back as everything swam into view. The sounds of people cheering and goblets knocking together, the sound of a girl crying her eyes out and the usual jeers and taunts between the houses.

Stein quickly leant back to see that Severus had just swept past him and was now talking in very low tones to Dumbledore. Both of their souls were fidgeting with alarm. Immediately the headmaster stood up and followed Severus out of the room, Minerva behind him as well.

He stared after the three of them.

"Are yer gunna eat, Stein?" Hagrid asked him.

He must have been more tired than he thought. He hadn't even noticed the food appear on the plates. He took a quick glance at Hagrid, at the man's concerned features.

_Features split apart on a cold metal table. Saws and razors and scalpels all pointed inwards, eager to rip and tear away at the man's unique soul. To learn everything about what made him, to put him back together in so many different ways, to break the specimen into thousands of pieces. To-_

-destroy him.

"Stein, are you sure you're feeling alright?" Septima asked gently.

He stood up abruptly.

"I'll be back in a minute," he said, unable to hide the shaking in his voice.

Without delay, Stein followed after Dumbledore, Severus and Minerva. Curiosity, concern and sheer terror forcing his feet forwards towards the backs of the three people who in this place probably had the best chance of putting him down.

"Professor Stein, this matter does not concern you," Minerva said the instant she saw him approaching. "Go back. I'll have a word with you later."

They had left the Great Hall behind them and were quickly coming up to the hospital wing, none of them having broken their stride. Stein could sense Potter and Weasley's souls up ahead, their wavelengths so weak they were almost impossible to detect.

It had been those two who arrived earlier. With that many Dementors they were lucky to be alive. Presumably Severus had been able to drive the creatures off, or persuade them somehow. Perhaps he used the same method as Remus?

"Sorry Minerva," Stein replied, doing his absolute best to seem sincere. "I'm not exactly feeling too good myself. I had a run in with the Dementors earlier on the train you see. I'm not exactly... at my best right now."

The statement was closer to the truth than Stein would have liked. His movements were sluggish and his soul was still recovering from the experience. Of course, he couldn't miss the opportunity to study the souls of others who had been in close contact with the Dementors. You could only learn so much from examining yourself after all.

His statement seemed to have worked however. Only now did Minerva's soul show even a flicker of concern as her eyes ghosted across his face.

He must have looked really bad.

"Minerva, he is well within his right to use our facilities if needed," Dumbledore interjected calmly, before anything more could be said. "Poppy will also need some cheering up, most likely."

"He's certainly better off than Potter and Weasley," Severus said briskly, just as they turned the last corner. "As you'll be able to tell for yourself, Headmaster, I very nearly didn't make it in time. Honestly, using a flying car, what reckless behaviour! Did either of them even think for a moment of the consequences?"

There was a quiet anger to Severus' words that went beyond merely being a teacher. It was clear that even he, although he hid it well, did care for his students at least a little bit. Either that or he found those soul eating creatures just as despicable as Stein did.

"Even so, they did not deserve an encounter with Dementors for it, Severus," Minerva sternly admonished. "They will make up their mistake in mandated punishments."

"The only appropriate punishment is expulsion," Severus shot back. "Although somehow I doubt that'll be happening."

She shot him a disapproving glare as the four of them entered the Hospital wing, revealing two rows of near-empty beds for them all to see.

Minerva actually gasped when they came upon the two boys, each in their own hospital beds. Weasley was sitting up with his knees drawn almost to his chest, eyes staring blankly at nothing as Poppy Pomfrey fussed over him with numerous potions and spells. His soul was still present, although greatly diminished. It had clearly exhausted itself trying to fight off the Dementor's madness inducing wavelength, but it would recover with time.

Potter on the other hand was lying down in bed, looking incredibly small under the large duvet. Had it not been for Stein's soul perception he might have thought the boy was dead, for his face was incredibly pale and there was little movement as he breathed. Potter's soul was, as always, very interesting to look at. The part of Voldemort's soul still attached to it seemed utterly unaffected by the wavelength, in stark contrast to the boy's dark blue soul. That was far smaller than it should have been and seemed almost deformed somehow, like putty that had been gently squeezed.

Pre-Kishin always had to destroy the body of their victim in order to get at the soul, but could these things somehow not need to do that? Could they directly consume the soul without damaging the body? If so that would certainly explain why he was so weakened, yet they hadn't even been able to touch him. If Remus hadn't come along when he had, things could have been very bad for him.

"Dumbledore!" Poppy rounded on the headmaster with all the ferocity of a mountain lion. "How could you allow those things anywhere near this school?! I've worked here for decades and never before have I seen such a thing! It's a disgrace, an honest disgrace! The founders would be turning in their graves if they knew Dementors had been allowed anywhere near the students!"

"Ms Pomfrey, I understand your concerns," Dumbledore said slowly. "But if the decision had been in my hands, the Dementors would never have come within a hundred miles of this castle. The Ministry has overridden me on this matter and I can only hope that with this incident we can convince them to remove the Dementors from Hogwarts altogether."

"You mean to tell me you had no say in this at all?!" Poppy asked, unconvinced. "They couldn't possibly be able to arrange this over your head."

"You would be surprised how much power I don't have," Dumbledore explained, looking over the two boys sadly. "But it seems Fudge has his own agenda, one I can only guess at for the moment."

"Mr Weasley," Minerva said, sitting down next to the twelve year old.

Stein had never heard her voice sound so gentle.

"Can you please tell us what happened?"

"Professor McGonagall, I must protest," Poppy said. "He needs rest after his trauma, not an interrogation!"

"Ms Pomfrey, it is up to the boy in question whether or not he should tell us anything," Dumbledore declared. "But I guarantee you that no-one will be 'interrogating' anyone."

"Personally, I don't think there's anything to discuss," Severus remarked coldly. "Potter, aided by Mr Weasley here, clearly broke numerous school rules, not to mention _laws._ Merlin only knows how many muggles saw the two reprobates as they _flew _here in plain sight."

"Professor Snape, I will not have you accost my patients in such a manner," Poppy hissed in a way that would put a snake to shame. "If you cannot behave I shall personally remove you."

Severus' only response was to sneer.

"Mr Weasley," Stein interrupted, beginning to get sick of these delays. "Do you feel up to telling us what happened when you and Mr Potter travelled here?"

The boy was clearly terrified, his face ashen as his eyes flickered between the faces of the teachers.

"I-I-I'm in trouble aren't I?" he nearly whispered. "It was my idea, I-I didn't mean to-"

"Mr Weasley, I assure you that you aren't in trouble," she said encouragingly. "Please, tell us what happened after you stole the car."

Stein saw Weasley's eyes flicker briefly towards Severus and himself and had to restrain a sigh of annoyance. It seems that even after everything he did to help them last year the boy was still weary of him. Was it the screw? Or was it just the stitches that made him look untrustworthy? Honestly, sometimes Stein wondered why he even tried.

"Well," the boy sniffled. "We tried to cross into the platform but it didn't work. We were scared 'cause... D-Dad said Sirius Black was after Harry and this would have been perfect-"

Hold on, Black was after Potter specifically? Judging from everyone else's reactions, no one was surprised at this. The boy had stated it as a simple fact. Stein schooled his features, making sure to give nothing away. Why would Black be after Potter? Remus had been reluctant to elaborate and if it was common knowledge he couldn't just ask without seeming suspicious. Was Black connected to Voldemort? That would be a definite possibility.

Stein glanced briefly at Potter, who had begun to move a little. He was still clearly asleep, but muttering unintelligibly whilst tossing and turning.

"-And we were flying and it was dark and then things got really cold," Weasley continued to stammer. "The windows frosted up and I felt like... like I'd never be happy again. Harry, he-he started muttering. W-when I looked at him his eyes were white and I-I panicked and screamed. There were hands everywhere and I couldn't- just couldn't move- just scream and then we were falling..."

"Then you nearly hit me with the car," Severus added.

"Professor Snape!"

"Just be glad he didn't hit something valuable," Severus continued. "Like the Whomping Willow."

"Honestly-"

"Severus," Dumbledore interjected, holding up a hand. "Please."

The surly man took the hint and shut up.

"N-next thing I knew, I woke up here," Weasley finished, even managing to send Severus a small glare.

Stein smirked, clearly the boy would recover just fine.

"Thank you, Ronald," Dumbledore said. "Now it's probably best that you get some rest."

Immediately, Poppy swooped in on the boy and handing him a potion to drink. She then closed the curtains around his bed. Within moments Stein felt Weasley's soul relax and drift into a dreamless sleep.

"I take it that you won't deem it necessary to wake Potter?" Severus drawled, standing at the foot of Potter's bed. "To make sure their stories correlate?"

"Severus, they are twelve year olds, not mad genii out to get you," Minerva said. "Unless you have a good reason why we should risk waking a young traumatised boy just to hear the same story all over again, I think we can conclude that our business is settled for the moment."

The Potions Master still looked like he wanted to protest, but then the unconscious boy murmured something.

It sounded a lot like 'not her' to Stein's ears, but whatever it was it made Severus' face freeze up. For a brief moment, a thousand little emotions shot across the man's soul clear as day. Pain, loss, regret, anger, love- all flashed by in an instant before an iron will slammed down on it and it became almost unreadable once more.

Severus took a deep breath.

"Fine," he practically spat, stomping away from the bed.

There wasn't much more to tell after that. Potter had settled back down into a complete sleep and with Weasley out as well there was no more reason to stay here. They had almost certainly missed the feast, so all that remained was the final staff meeting before term time officially began.

"I will make sure to inform his family," Dumbledore decided. "To let them know that Ronald and Harry made it and that they are welcome to visit."

"Headmaster, I still feel that expulsion would be a better manner of dealing with this obvious transgression-" Severus piped up.

"You cannot be serious, Severus!" Minerva protested. "No harm has come to anyone other than those two because of this unfortunate event. Not to mention that whilst Sirius Black is on the loose, Potter must remain here where he is safest."

"Safest indeed," he remarked as they left the Hospital Wing.

"Harry will remain at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said with finality. "There will be no argument. The two boys were acting in their best interests, misguided though they may have been."

"Headmaster, with respect you didn't see those things!" Severus hissed. "They were tearing the car apart to get at the two inside. They are animals, plain and simple! Had I been but a moment later, had Weasley crashed a meter further away, you'd have nothing but two soulless husks rather than children!"

"I understand your concern on this matter," the Headmaster answered, sounding tired. "We would indeed all be better off if the Dementers were kept far away from the castle grounds, but if the price is compromising on Harry's safety then it simply isn't right."

The Potions master looked like he had swallowed a particularly sour lemon, but nevertheless let the matter drop.

"If you want my opinion," Stein spoke up. "I don't think these guards would be of much use considering Black snuck past them before."

Severus gave a haughty laugh.

"And I suppose you're clearly an expert on Dementors? If Black got by them once it was likely a fluke and nothing more."

"It's true I haven't had much experience with the creatures," Stein admitted. "But I tend to find that it's better to be safe than sorry. Especially when the potential consequences outweigh the benefits."

Severus observed Stein with a suspicious eye.

"You're looking awfully better all of a sudden," he said snidely. "Almost like you were never attacked at all."

"I must not do well in crowds," Stein answered with a sheepish grin. "I am feeling much better though. Thank you for inquiring."

Internally he was feeling anything but better. Severus was a suspicious person at heart, if his treatment of Quirrel last year had been any indication. He also had the ability to, like Dumbledore, mask his emotions to a rather high degree and was a skilled legilimens.

'Of course the one who can read minds is suspicious of me,' Stein thought to himself, feeling very annoyed.

With that, the four of them came up to the Staffroom and entered. Everyone who could consider themselves a staff member in any respect was there, from Filch to Hagrid to the Librarian, they were all there awaiting the Headmaster's return. Without further delay, Dumbledore turned to address everyone as Minerva, Stein and Severus stood near the back of the crowd.

"As you are all now no doubt aware, this year Hogwarts will be playing host to the Dementors of Azkaban."

Immediately people began grumbling and fearfully murmuring amongst one another.

"Tomorrow, all morning lessons will be cancelled so that I can give all the students a quick safety meeting on how to deal with the Dementors," Dumbledore continued. "Unfortunately, the Minister has gone over my head in appointing the guards here. They have assured me that the Dementors will only be guarding the entrances to the grounds and that under no circumstances will they stray from their given orders."

Somewhere behind him, Stein heard Snape try to suppress a snort.

He didn't try very hard.

"Now I know most of you have only heard of these creatures, but I am warning you now they are not to be taken lightly. If you are in any doubt how to deal with them I ask that you come and ask me directly," here Dumbledore drew a deep breath and seemed to age ten years. "As if to prove this is no joke, two students have already fallen afoul of the Dementors, one of whom you know as Mr Harry Potter. Thanks to the timely intervention of- one of our Professors, they have escaped mostly unharmed and were very lucky to do so. I will be petitioning the Minister to remove the Dementors from the grounds, but in such matters I cannot guarantee success, not with the likes of Sirius Black roaming around."

"This brings me onto our next matter, Sirius Black."

What followed was nothing more than safety reports and instructions on what to do if Sirius Black should somehow enter the castle. They were clearly bureaucratic, most likely designed by the kind of person who had never been in a real duel in their lives, let alone met face to face with a mass-murderer. If Dumbledore hadn't added extra security measures, such as an emergency communication system and a general alert, it would have all been otherwise pointless.

"-these are trying times," Dumbledore finished up. "But I have confidence in our strength. As long as we never forget our courage, our loyalty, wisdom or our cunning, I am certain that we will emerge unscathed from this trial. Now, it's been a long day and my old bones need some rest. Goodnight everyone."

The crowd began to disperse, all muttering to each other about recent events. From the little snippets Stein could hear it seemed everyone was rather disgruntled with the Ministry. Dementors certainly had a reputation and if Black was smart he probably would stay away from Hogwarts and wait until the summer when Potter was vulnerable again.

That is, of course, unless he truly had found a way to sneak past the Dementors, which Stein was doubtful he could do. Those things didn't have eyes and seemed to be guided only by their soul perception and it was impossible to completely mask your soul. Hell, even the Witches Soul Protect spell wouldn't help, as it merely disguised them as a normal human being.

Even without encountering Black, this year at Hogwarts promised to be more interesting as well as more stressful than before.

Stein was about to quickly head down to the library when a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Hey, Professor Stein," Remus said, smiling at him. "Feeling any better now? I noticed you left without eating anything earlier and just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Thank you, Remus," Stein returned the smile. "But just Stein is fine. I did feel a little off during the feast, maybe I should have had some of that chocolate you offered, ha-ha!"

"I still have some if you're interested," Remus offered sincerely. "That is if you've changed your mind?"

"I can already tell you'll be a better Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor than our last guy," Stein commented, accepting the chocolate. "He would have never offered me anything."

Remus raised an eyebrow.

"You mean the previous Professor who was a self-proclaimed Death Eater?"

"Well… I never said being better would be hard," Stein said, also mentally reminding himself to look up what the term 'Death Eater' meant. "But I think you might just manage it."

Remus chuckle was a little forced.

"Yeah, I think I can manage that," he said almost absentmindedly. "Although, I can't believe the Minister would be so brazen as to go over Dumbledore's head like that."

Stein ignored the sudden change of subject, it wasn't the first time it had happened when talking to Remus. The Werewolf seemed to have quite a bit on his mind; far too much for Stein to even begin to pick apart. He didn't like talking about Sirius Black or about his own abilities or history.

How delightfully suspicious.

"Is that not normally done?" Stein asked.

"Oh definitely not," Remus said, wide-eyed. "The Headmaster of Hogwarts has always been an important position. It's not the kind of thing the Minister should do if he is looking to stay in power."

"So you think he's desperate?"

"After last year with that Death Eater almost taking the stone, Fudge has quite a bit of face to save," Remus explained as the two walked down several staircases. "The first ever breakout of Azkaban happening on his watch doesn't look good."

"Politicians," Stein summarised with a smile.

"Exactly. Anyway, I believe this is my new office, so I'll be heading off now."

The two said good night and parted ways for that evening, with Stein already making plans as he double backed, using his Soul Perception to make sure no one was nearby.

It was child's play to quickly run up to the library and take as many books on Dementors and dangerous creatures as he could carry without being spotted, before running back to his room to study.

Stein had debated the usefulness of reporting to Lord Death right away, or waiting until he learned more about these creatures. Eventually he settled on simply studying them for the rest of the night.

There was no reason why he should give Lord Death an incomplete report.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So please tell me what you think, good, bad, terrible, troll? Whatever your thoughts, please tell me them so that I know!  
><strong>

**It is amazing to see all the positive responses I got for this story. I never realised so many people loved it that much, so THANK YOU to eveyrone who reviewed, favourited or followed this story.**

**About this fic: Since I've actually got quite a bit of this fic planned I'm NOT going to just abandon it. I will from now on update this fic once a month, so that you guys won't have to wait or worry that it's not ever going to be updated again and become an abandoned story. **

**If this schedule becomes impossible for whatever reason, I WILL inform you at the end of the next chapter when I post it.**

**Until next time, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


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